The Ultimate Evil
by DONOVAN94
Summary: A Chinese proverb once said: "Love is blind, and greed insatiable". So too was Shendu: in his quest for world domination he found a woman that he wanted with a blind lust and had a unquenchable fascination with her connection to his past. Valerie, a woman working for the Chans, is unaware of the demon that will do anything to have her, nor of the growing connection between them...
1. Welcome to the Chan Clan!

**Author's Note: Hello Readers! Thank you for coming and checking out my latest story! **

**Recently, I received a request from Fan FictionLover1 in order to start a story with a slight Shendu/OC pairing. I was intrigued, as I had watched the show '_Jackie Chan Adventures_' when I was a kid but hadn't seen or thought of it since. So, I decided to give the first few episodes a go, just to see what I was dealing with... and then consequently spent the next WEEK staying up until stupid in the morning in order to watch all five seasons. My mind went spinning with ideas, and that is where this little baby has come from. I loved the Shendu character and this will focus on him and my OC, Valerie, as we follow their story through the majority of the first two seasons of the show. **

**Credit goes to Fan FictionLover1 for coming up with the initial idea, but also a personal thank you to her from me for helping me during the creative process. I hope everyone enjoys this, and please leave a review and tell me what you think! All reviews are appreciated very much. ENJOY! :)**

* * *

The Ultimate Evil

* * *

Welcome to the Chan Clan!

* * *

She yelped as she jumped aside to avoid a speeding car, watching it flash past as it barrelled down the road.

"Hey! Don't mind me! Jerk!" she shouted after the car, growling before readjusting her bag strap and continuing on as she hopped up onto the pavement and walked down the street, following the crudely and hastily written directions on her sheet of paper.

Valerie sighed as she stubbornly tucked stray strands of hair that had escaped her small ponytail behind her ear, trying to walk and read at the same time without bumping into anybody. The woman did her best to not start panicking when she saw that she was going to be late and that she had no clue where she was. Great. She hadn't been living three days in San Francisco and already she was late for her bloody job interview!

Picking any stranger at random, she politely asked if they could tell her where to find one: 'Uncle's Rare Finds', an antique store. Although her guide didn't know the shop, he still knew of the street which she spoke of, and pointed her in the right direction. Valerie thanked him, and then quickly set on her way.

As she hurried along, Valerie once again tried to tame defiant strands of her scraggily blonde hair that escaped its short ponytail, thinking about what a hectic week it had been. Although the beginning of January, Valerie had arrived in San Francisco in order to go the City University, and was due to start her studies next week. She was cutting into the course late, but she'd needed to get away from home... and San Francisco seemed to be the perfect distance from Toronto, though it had only been her good test scores that had allowed her entry this late in the academic year. Having just moved into a small one bedroom apartment not two days ago, Valerie knew that she needed a job in order to pay off her bills. Luckily she had seen an ad in the local paper asking for an assistant and cleaner at an antique store; it offered good pay, flexible hours, and was supposedly just a few blocks down the road from where she lived. Valerie had leapt at the chance to snatch up something so great at such an opportune moment, and seeing as she was studying History at the University, she thought it would be a fascinating way to research more into culture and history through antiques. She'd phoned the shop, and talked to a man named Mr Chan, who had been all too pleased to have her come over to the shop so that she might meet him and they would talk about hours, pay, and what the job would entail.

But how embarrassing would it be to have a grown woman of 23 turn up at the job "interview" late and blaming it on getting lost?! _Argh_! This was not her day!

Eventually, Valerie managed to find the Antique store, down a seemingly uninteresting street, a yellow brick building with a red roof in a Chinese style. The front window was even filled with Asian antiques that Valerie could tell from a glance were all old, genuine and extremely fragile. Quickly glancing at her reflection in the glass of the window, Valerie tried to smooth out her grey long sleeved blouse and jeans beneath her long coat, and noticed that her dirty-blonde hair was still a mess, but tamed in its ponytail (for now). Bags were under her dull blue eyes, her skin a little pale, all from the stress of moving. Deciding that her appearance was going to be as good as she could get it, she took a deep breath and entered the shop.

A bell rang to announce that she had entered, and Valerie glanced around almost nervously as she tried to find someone inside. There were antiques piled around and put on display, and she had to admit that some of them were absolutely exquisite pieces, and would probably have an interesting history behind it. But she put those thoughts aside as she spotted an old man sitting at the front desk. He was an old Chinese man, with small eyes hidden behind spectacles that sat precariously on his hawk nose, his long face drawn down in a permanent frown of disapproval, his bushy brows furrowed as he seemed to be concentrating on a book in front of him. He wore a simple white shirt with a yellow woollen cardigan and baggy trousers, and didn't even seem to notice Valerie until she cleared her throat politely. The old man looked up, and seemed confused for half a second as he studied her, before his eyes widened and a grin started across his face.

"Hello!" the old man leapt from his chair behind the front desk and came towards her with a confident stride. "Welcome to Uncle's Rare Finds! You come and look at our antiques." He then paused by a spiralling staircase that led up to the second floor of the shop and presumably the private rooms above. "JACKIE!" he screeched up the stairs. "We have a customer!"

"Oh no," Valerie said quickly, realising the mistake as she put a hand out as if to stop the old man. "I'm sorry! No, er… I, uh, I'm not a customer. Sorry, I'm here to speak with a Mr Chan?"

"Oh," the old man said as if understanding before turning his attention to shout back up the staircase. "JACKIE! You have girl-friend here to see you! Why you not tell Uncle?!"

"Oh no!" Valerie squawked, her face reddening as she tried to still her embarrassment. "No-no-no-no! Y-you don't understand! I-I'm not his girlfriend – no! I'm here for the job!"

"Job? What job?" the old man furrowed his brow at her in suspicion, and Valerie felt a slight sprinkling of nerves as she looked into those eyes. She was about to explain after her moment of hesitation, when suddenly they both heard a voice from above.

"Uncle!"

Both Valerie and the old man looked up to see a man at the top of the stairs with thick black hair, a well-built body, warm brown eyes and thick jaw. He was dressed in a blue jumper and beige trousers, quickly descending the stairs two or three at a time as he quickly stuck himself between Valerie and the older man, for which the woman was eternally grateful for. The man smiled at her, obviously trying to be charming though he seemed to be just as embarrassed as she was.

"Hello there, you must be Miss Payne!" he said quickly, taking her hand and shaking it hastily. "My name is Jackie Chan,"

"Good to meet you," Valerie mumbled as she took back her hand, feeling her shoulder ache slightly from the force of the shake. _Where have I heard the name 'Chan' before? _She asked herself as she tried to rack her brains, feeling as if she should know the answer, it was right on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't quite say it!

"I apologise for my Uncle," Jackie said again with great haste as he tried to keep that big smile on his face for her. "He can just be a little odd at times," he then stood aside so that she could see the old man again. "This is my Uncle, just call him 'Uncle', everyone else does. Uncle, this is Miss Valerie Payne,"

"Jackie…" Uncle didn't spare a glance at Valerie, he was too busy frowning at Jackie suspiciously as he drew out the name with great annoyance and distrust in his tone. "Woman is telling me she's here for a job, tell her she has the wrong shop!"

"_Uncle_!" Jackie hissed as if he wanted to scold the old man. "I'm hiring Miss Payne to be your assistant. She will help you clean the shop and watch over it whilst you do your own… _private work,_" he explained, though Valerie did find it slightly odd how he put so much emphasis on the last two words. Perhaps Uncle was partially deaf, or didn't do this supposedly private work. Valerie simply shrugged to herself about it; wasn't any of her business anyway.

"AIYEEEYAAAAA!" Uncle shouted, eyes going wide as well as his mouth. "You got Uncle a shop assistant?! Uncle does not want assistant! Does not need one! Nobody asked Uncle!"

"Didn't want to _bother you_," Jackie replied with a slight smirk, as if it were some private joke between the two of them. But Uncle was clearly not in the mood for it, as he suddenly lashed out and struck Jackie with two fingers on the side of his head. The grown man flinched and ducked away from Uncle, rubbing his head as if it hurt.

"You never listen to Uncle!" he shouted, actually stamping his foot like a spoiled child. "Uncle does not want assistant! She will get in the way, mess up the shop, stop Uncle from doing research! Uncle does not want her!"

"Uncle!" Jackie hissed under his breath again, steering the old man away and began to speak to him in hushed tones that Valerie couldn't overhear, though she stood there biting her lip nervously, beginning to feel awkward as the minuets slipped by and the two Chinese-men were still discussing amongst themselves in whispers. Though from the wild gestures from Uncle, Valerie could only assume that it wasn't boding well. But then, the two seemed to reach an understanding as suddenly Uncle stormed off and plopped himself on his seat behind the till desk and went back to reading his book with a huff. Jackie came up to Valerie, but whatever fears she had were swept away by his words.

"My Uncle is stubborn, and may not like the idea of depending on someone, but he does need the help. His schedule is too busy for him to watch the shop _and _do his… _other hobbies_," Jackie told her.

"I'm so sorry," Valerie said quickly, almost pleadingly. "I really didn't mean –"

"It's okay," Jackie smiled at her, a real, genuine smile filled with warmth that Valerie couldn't help but feel reassured by. "So, when do you start at the University?"

"Not until next week," she told him evenly, regaining her confidence and surety quickly.

"Well, we'll pay you weekly by the hours you work. So how about you start the job today and work until half four. Then if you want to you can come back for the rest of the week and then work after school at what times suit you. But spend this week getting a feel for the job and see if this will work for you," he suggested.

"Sounds fair enough," Valerie gave a smile of her own. "What do you want me to do?"

"Just clean the antiques and keep the shop clean, then you can work behind the counter and hopefully make a sale." He chuckled at his own joke, though Valerie only smiled for the sake of manners. "And get Uncle whatever he wants. Just don't take any of his… _eccentric_ ways to heart."

"Okay then,"

"Oh! And my niece will be coming round after school," Jackie added as he made his way back towards the stairs. "Call for me when she gets here, I'll just be upstairs if you need me."

"Okay, thank you Mr Chan." She called after him.

"Please, call me Jackie!" he called back to her with a slight wave.

Valerie stood there for a moment, simply waiting for Uncle to start telling her what to do, but he simply sat there scowling at his book as he sulked. After an awkward silence, Valerie sighed and decided to simply get her hands dirty – so to speak – and went to the kitchen in the back of the shop. After dumping her bag on the table and rooting around in the cupboards, she soon found a duster and polish, and then came back into the main shop and began work on cleaning the antiques carefully. She didn't make it three seconds before she heard Uncle shout, making her jump.

"Aiiiiyyyyaaaa!" he shouted as he pointed an accusing finger at her. "That is from Ming Dynasty! You be careful with it! You break it, you buy it!"

"Yes Uncle," Valerie said as she turned back to her work.

"One more thing!" he shouted again. "You are being too rough! My antiques are worthless if you've sanded them into powder!"

"Okay…" she murmured, a sense of frustration biting at her stomach, but once again as she turned back to her work, Uncle called out to her again.

"One MORE thing!" he said as he turned back to his book. "Make Uncle some coffee!"

"Sure thing," Valerie mumbled, already becoming frustrated as she put down the duster and walked into the back room and began to make the cup of coffee, once again rooting around through every cupboard as she tried to find the right ingredients as Uncle didn't offer to show her where anything was. A few minutes later, she brought Uncle his coffee. He didn't thank her, and had only taken a sip when he suddenly spat it back out.

"HTCHA!" he exclaimed, looking at his cup before turning to her with a glare. "What is this crock?!" He demanded.

"It's coffee." Valerie replied defensively.

"It DECAFFEINATED coffee!"

"Full coffee can be quite bad for you at your –" Valerie was about to say '_your age', _but quickly swallowed her words at the look on Uncle's face.

"Jackie drinks this garbage!" he stamped his foot as he thrust the cup back towards her. "Coffee is the only thing keeping Uncle's ancient heart beating! SO YOU GO MAKE COFFEE!" he screeched.

"Fine." Valerie growled out under her breath as she practically stomped back into the kitchen, throwing the decaf cup of coffee down the sink as she made another one.

Unfortunately, the rest of the day didn't get any better, as every time she tried to do her job, Uncle would keep butting in with his comments, criticising her for everything she did. Sometimes Valerie would give subtle snarky comments back, but that would just encourage the old goat, and other times she just growled to herself in frustration and kept reminding herself that this was the perfect job… good pay… perfect for a student… but it was very hard to keep track of even those simply things when Uncle would constantly be shrieking like a banshee:

"Aiiiyyyyaaa! You're sweeping the floor, not knocking out all Uncle's Ling Dynasty vases!"

"Uncle is old, not deaf! Quit you're grumbling!"

"Do not question Uncle! You work for him – not other way round! Do as he says!"

It was actually a relief when three o'clock came around and a change of pace came when SOMEONE came through the front door.

Valerie looked up to see a small girl of perhaps ten years old walk through the door. She had short jet black hair that framed her face, with large honey golden brown eyes and a heart shaped face. She wore an orange hoodie with short jeans and red sneakers, a Melvin Moose bag slung over her shoulder. Valerie quickly concluded that this must be the niece that Jackie had mentioned earlier. As soon as the girl saw her, she frowned in confusion, before her face lit up as she beamed.

"You must be the girl Jackie hired!" she exclaimed happily.

"Jade knew about Uncle's assistant before Uncle did?!" the old man shrieked indignantly.

"I listened to the phone call, _duh_," Jade made the snarky reply. "So what's your name?" she asked Valerie with another big grin.

"Valerie, Valerie Payne," she answered with a polite smile.

"Cool. I'm Jade, Jackie's niece. Do you mind if I call you Val? Or Ray-ray?" she asked quickly.

"Jackie's told me about you. And no, please, just Valerie."

"Awww…" the girl moaned. "So where you from? I here you're a student at the University Jackie works for,"

"Well, I came here from Toronto, where my Mum lives, but I'm originally from Washington," Valerie told her stiffly, not wanting to answer but didn't want to appear rude. "And yeah I'm at the University. I didn't know your uncle worked there,"

"He's an archaeologist part time," Jade said nonchalantly. "The other half of the time, he's out working for the government!" the child suddenly bounced excitedly.

"What?" Valerie blinked in surprise. She realised then where she recognised the name 'Chan', he was the person who brought in the artefacts for the history students to study, she now remembered reading that in the University brochure. But the sudden news that her boss was a government official was new. "How so?" she asked.

"Well, Jackie is often sent out on top-secret missions around the world! It's all hush-hush, TOTALLY top-secret, but Jackie is SO cool! He's currently trying to find ancient magical talismans,"

"Really," Valerie deadpanned, her slight excitement dampened and replaced by amusement as she watched the imaginative child prattle on, completely enraptured in her own story.

"Yeah! He's up against a criminal group called the Dark Hand, and they want the magic in the talismans for evil! But Jackie is always there to kick their butts! Them and the shadow-ninjas!"

"Shadow ninjas," Valerie repeated, trying not to laugh in case it would hurt the girl's feelings.

"Jade?"

Both Valerie and Jade looked up to see Jackie standing at the top of the stairs as he quickly made his way down to them. He quickly stood in front of Jade, putting on that huge smile for Valerie again as if Jade had said something she shouldn't and Jackie was desperate to make Valerie believe that nothing was amiss.

"Haha, kids eh?" he said as he scratched the back of his neck, before quickly grabbing Jade by the arm and hauling her towards the back room. Unfortunately, this didn't give them the privacy that Jackie was obviously wanting.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Valerie could hear him demand in a hushed tone.

"What?" Jade whined.

"You know what! You're not supposed to – never mind!" Jackie sighed in exasperation. "Your teacher called me to say that you're getting into arguments with Drew again, what happened?"

"He's calling me a liar Jackie!" the girl said pleadingly. "He won't believe me when I tell him how cool you are and about the talismans and the shadowkhan!"

Valerie had to smile at the young girl's devotion and clear adoration for her uncle.

"He's not supposed to," Jackie told her. "And you're not supposed to tell him,"

"But –"

"No 'buts'," he said sternly. "Now go clean up before we have dinner,"

Valerie heard the girl humph sulkily, and a second later Jackie was walking out of the backroom towards Valerie.

"So," he said with a smile as he desperately tried to act as if nothing was wrong. "How was your first day on the job?"

"Assistant is good worker," Uncle spoke up from his desk before Valerie could speak. She had to literally stick her head out to see around Jackie as her jaw fell open in astonishment.

"Wait-what?!" she squawked.

"Assistant is good worker and has a level head, she will be good for the shop. Have her come back tomorrow," Uncle said calmly, sipping his third cup of coffee noisily. Valerie blinked in surprise as she turned back to Jackie… well, she hadn't expected _that_.

"What he said," Jackie shrugged. "If you would like to continue working here of course; I know my Uncle can be quite a headache,"

"Sure thing," Valerie smiled, not quite believing her luck. She would have thought that Uncle would have fired her for sure after his constant bad behaviour today.

"And I also apologise for my niece," Jackie murmured as he scratched the back of his head again. "She moved here recently from Hong Kong to live with me, and she's still not fitting in well at school."

"There's no need to apologise," Valerie held up a hand as she smiled at him. "From what I've seen, Jade's a good kid. Inquisitive, excitable, perhaps she has an over-active imagination, but she's young. She's allowed –"

"_What_?!"

Both Jackie and Valerie turned to see that Jade had exited the back room and was glaring at them angrily.

"You think I'm lying to?" she demanded.

"Jade," Jackie said. "Don't –"

"I'm not a liar! I'm not!" she shouted furiously, stamping her foot. "I'll prove it to you! I'll prove that I'm not lying!"

And with that she skulked off out of the door.

* * *

Shendu studied the human before him, his red eyes flaring with his already thin patience. He wanted to swat the man aside, beat him into submission for his impertinence; but of course, he could not, not whilst he was trapped in this statue form. The only reason he tolerated the human named Valmont and his fools for minions, was because he needed them, it was more out of desperation now. After nine hundred years of being frozen as a statue, Shendu was more than willing to put up with their incompetence if it meant that he would have a chance of regaining the twelve talismans, his rightful powers, so that he could break free of his prison and return to his true form.

"Four talismans have been found," Shendu spoke in his hissing serpent like voice, the disembodied sound filling the large and spacious office that was Valmont's base of operations for his criminal organisation known as the Dark Hand. He could tell that the human was still disturbed by his voice, even after they had spent months talking, as he spoke but his frozen stone lips did not move. "And thus far, I have not seen a single one. Chan seems to outwit your men at every turn,"

"No doubt he has the talismans locked up in Section 13 already," Valmont spoke, his aristocratic British accent making him sound sophisticated. It was what had convinced Shendu of reaching out to the man – metaphorically speaking. Valmont had bought Shendu almost a year and a half ago, for a hefty price so that the statue could hang on his wall behind his desk and throw an imposing image. Shendu had watched him and waited, as he had done the past nine centuries as he'd waited for the right moment, and he'd thought he'd found what had seemed to be a competent man with both the resources and the ability to get whatever he wanted, being the CEO of a vast criminal empire. As of late, Shendu was being proved wrong on a lot of points he had attributed to the man.

"Then why not have your men follow Chan?" Shendu suggested, his voice tight with impatience. "Let him lead you to Section 13 and retrieve my talismans!"

"Wouldn't your shadowkhan be better suited for that purpose?" Valmont raised an eyebrow at Shendu as he leaned on his cane lazily.

"The shadowkhan do not _speak_," Shendu growled out. "They could follow Chan, find the location, but they would then need to return to lead your enforcers there – so your men might as well have done it themselves in the first place!"

"Very well Shendu," Valmont sighed, retrieving his phone from inside his suit jacket and quickly messaging the order to his enforcers. "You know Shendu," the human said, turning back to face the dragon statue with a small smirk, obviously building to something that had been on his mind. "My men might have more success if they were more… motivated,"

"_Motivated_?" Shendu asked tightly.

"These talisman expeditions…" Valmont trailed off before his lips broke into a smirk. "Let's just say that I'm racking up some heavy out of pocket expenses, and as of yet there's nothing coming back _in_ to my pocket,"

Shendu wanted to curl his lip in distaste at this human's audacity, if only he had a lip with which to curl. But he had known that this human's greed knew no bounds. When Shendu had observed him after being "purchased" he had seen that this man coveted money and riches more than anything else. It had been all too easy to break a deal with Valmont: help Shendu return to life, and he would be rewarded with treasures untold.

"When – and _only_ when – your men acquire all twelve talismans," Shendu said, eyes flaring a glowing blood red. "The lost treasure of Ching Xi Hung will cover your _expenses_… ten thousand times over,"

"The _reputed _lost treasure…" Valmont added, if a little sourly.

"Ahhh…" Shendu drew out lazily, for he would have smirked as he realised the root of the problem. "So we have a sceptic…"

With the power of his will alone, Shendu summoned a single Shadowkhan, the ninja appearing from the shadows of the office beside where Shendu's statue was mounted on the back wall. Covered in black clothes as dark as the shadows it lived in, grey-blue skin, and glowing red eyes like that of its master, the spectral warrior walked forward, holding a golden vase that glittered as if with its own light. The Shadowkhan dutifully walked forward to Valmont, and held the vase to him as if in offering, opening the lid and revealing that it was filled with rubies, glowing from within to give it more effect. Shendu could see that Valmont was practically salivating as he stared open mouthed at the treasure before him. Before he could reach out to touch it however, Shendu willed the ninja to snap the lid of the vase closed, and withdrew back to the shadows from whence it came, disappearing with the treasure along with it. Valmont seemed a little disheartened as he stared at where the warrior had gone.

"Patience Valmont," Shendu said, the smirk obvious in his voice as he drew the human's attention back to focus on him. "All good things to those who wait…"

* * *

"What the hell we doing here anyways?" Ratso complained as he slouched in the passenger seat of the car, crossing his arms over his chest miserably. "This aint gonna work,"

"All we need to do is have Chan lead us to Section 13, that's what Valmont said," Chow replied in a bored tone from the back seat.

"But I'm tired of just sitting here! What if they don't go to Section 13?" Ratso whined, the large burly man acting rather childish for someone of his size.

"What the boss says goes," Chow grumbled back.

"Yeah," Finn said from where he sat in the driver's seat watching the antique shop across the road. "But he didn't say _how_…" he trailed off as he spotted Chan's niece come strolling determinedly down the street and head into the antique store. "Boys," Finn said to his companions with a cunning grin. "I think I may have just found a way to speed this along,"

* * *

It was her second day on the job, and Valerie was sweeping up the shop again when Jade came through the door from school. Uncle was out buying some rather odd ingredients which Valerie could only assume were for his herbal tea – though she had to wonder if one could drink powdered rat liver in a broth. She shivered, not wanting to remember half of what was on that list. Jackie was upstairs making an important phone call from someone called Black. So when the young girl came into the shop, she only had eyes for the woman before her as she stared at her, locking her jaw determinedly.

"Jade?" Valerie asked, frowning as she noticed the girl's mood. "Everything okay?"

Jade did not say a word, she simply dumped her bag by the door, marched into the back room, but only for a moment as she seemed to grab something from Uncle's desk and came marching straight back out until she was standing in front of Valerie like a general approaching her troops. Valerie had to commend the girl for her nerve.

"Jade…?"

"Okay, I know you don't believe me, but hear me out," she said in such a tone of voice that Valerie was suddenly rendered powerless as she listened as if _she _were the child here. "In September, I came to live with Jackie who had recently found a shield with a talisman in it. He was soon followed by two groups of people: one, was the dark hand, the bad guys; and the other was Captain Black with Section 13, they work for the government in trying to stop the Dark Hand. Jackie got the shield taken from him, but not before I took the talisman out of it! It turns out that the talisman was magical! It had the symbol of the rooster on it – an animal of the Chinese Zodiac. According to Uncle, there are eleven others, and the Dark Hand wants them all, and its Jackie's job to find them. The Rooster had the power of levitation, and since then we've found the Ox that gives you super-strength, the serpent which makes you invisibility and the Rabbit which gives you super speed." She looked up hopefully at Valerie once her speech was concluded. "You believe me _now_ don't you?!"

Valerie looked at the girl, biting her lip as she struggled with what to say, not wanting to hurt the girl's feelings but at the same time, this was just too much. It sounded like some sort of blockbuster spy-meets-magic movie. As a history student, Valerie liked to deal in the cold, hard evidence and facts that were laid out before her, and this was just… well it was just fantasy.

"Jade…" she tried to begin gently, but was cut short when the girl angrily growled to herself.

"I swear I'm not lying! You can even ask Uncle!"

"I know," Valerie replied automatically, wanting to calm the child before her as she bent down to her level. "I don't doubt it… But Jade, you need to realise that adults don't think of the world like a story anymore. It's just too much for me to believe,"

"I thought you'd say that," Jade murmured as she took a step back, a crafty smile forming on her lips that put Valerie slightly off guard. "That's why I thought of giving you a demonstration," she then held up in her hand a stone octagon with the carving of a rabbit on the front, Valerie looked at it curiously.

"And this is supposed to be…"

"The rabbit talisman," Jade finished with a devilish grin. "Section 13 hasn't finished building the vault yet, so Uncle still had it. But let me show you what it can do…"

Jade then leant forward as if she were about to charge, and Valerie saw with confusion how the rock in her hand suddenly began to glow, the rabbit symbol lighting up in Jade's palm. And then, Jade suddenly shot forward, so fast that she was literally a blur of orange and black as she raced around the shop, going from corner to corner, top to bottom, and back to front in a matter of seconds! A wind was created from her passing so strong that some of the antiques began to wobble and threatened to fall from their places. Valerie brought out of her stupor long enough to shriek with alarm before diving to catch the historically priceless objects before they crashed to the ground, placing them beside her books by her bag. Not a second later, Jade stood in front of her again, smirking as she stood there as she sank into a hip, tossing the talisman in her hand smugly. She didn't even appear to have broken a sweat.

"Believe me now?" she raised an eyebrow at Valerie, who was staring wide eyed at the girl before her, shaking as she pointed a finger at her fearfully, her mouth hanging open in pure astonishment, awe and terror.

"Y-y-y-you j-just… b-b-but how did you… h-h-how? What? Wha –" she gaped shakily. And then suddenly, the woman was shrieking as she clutched her head as she was still staring at Jade in panic. "Oh my GOD!" She screamed. "Holy hell! You just… oh no! This can't be good! It can't be possible – but it is! History books say it shouldn't be – but it is! Oh dear aunt Josephine-on-the-porch, you shouldn't be able to – but you did! How-what-when-why-?!"

"Whoa," Jade murmured as she watched the woman ramble on and on in hysterics. "Information overload…" she then quickly jumped forward and grabbed Valerie's arm and giving it a tug as she tried to get her attention. "Valerie! Hey! Listen, it's okay! Jackie can explain everything, I don't know how it works – but it's magic! Isn't that cool?!"

Before Valerie could answer with a stern 'No', the front bell rang and both of them turned to see three men standing in the doorway to the shop. On the left of the trio, was a tall and hulking man, slouched forward with a dumb expression on his face, his grey skin and dark grey hair giving the man an air of sickness to him, especially with a bandage across his nose. The one in the middle was a man with red hair and sideburns, a long nose and a white suit that looked something straight off of 'Saturday Night Fever'. The last man on the right was the shortest of the bunch, Asian with spiked black hair and huge orange sunglasses. All three were looking at Valerie and Jade intently, and Valerie felt a chill go down her spine as she realised that these did not appear to be the type of men who came buying Chinese antiques. Jade gasped when she saw them.

"What are you jerks doing here?!" she yelled, but Valerie quickly caught the girl's arm and pulled her behind her protectively.

"Jade – Shhh!" she whispered, her gaze never leaving the men in the doorway as she unconsciously picked up the broom again and held it a little too tightly. "Can I help you three gentlemen?" she asked in a cold yet politely professional voice. The three men studied her, their eyes travelling the length of her body, making Valerie want to bare her teeth at them like a dog.

"Didn't know Chan had a girlfriend," the guy in the white suit said with a whistle.

"I'm not his girlfriend, I'm the shop assistant," Valerie narrowed her eyes at the men. "Now I'm going to have to ask you to leave,"

"Sorry sweet-cakes, no can do," again the man in white said with a smirk.

"We're here for the girl," the Asian man said with a nasally voice.

"What?!" Jade exclaimed with wide eyes.

"That's right kido," the man in white grinned evilly at her. "You're gonna take us on a little tour of Section 13,"

Valerie placed herself firmly in front of Jade, holding her broom in both hands as she tried to appear as intimidating as possible, even though she was terrified inside, realising that she was one woman against three men. But still she could not and would not let them waltz in here and take Jade, for even though they had only known each other for twenty four hours, Jade was still an innocent child, and Valerie would not see her victimised. It was something her father would never have stood for, and neither would she.

"She's not going anywhere with _you_," she hissed, trying her best to sound threatening, though it didn't quite work.

"Oh yeah?" the big man said in a slow and deep voice with a thick down-town accent. He was so stereotypical of a thug it was almost laughable. "And who's gonna stop us?"

"Come and try it," Valerie dared as she lifted the broom up and held it like a baseball bat. "Jade, go and phone the police!" she said over her shoulder.

"Better idea! I'll go get Jackie!" Jade beamed, before running off towards the stairs.

"Jade – No! Phone the –" Valerie tried to say but was quickly cut off when Finn shouted:

"Ratso! Get the girl!"

The huge burly man that Valerie assumed was "Ratso" came charging towards Valerie, his eyes on Jade who was running for the stairs a few feet behind her. Valerie panicked for a second as she saw him coming, but quickly tightened her grip on the broom handle and ground her feet into the floor, a determined look on her face as she saw him come within range. With a burst of power in her muscles, Valerie swung the broom like a bat, twisting her body and executing in near-perfect form as the hard straw needles hit Ratso square in the face. He cried out in pain as he was knocked off of his feet and fell backwards onto the ground.

Everyone stared in wide-eyed amazement, Valerie included.

"Whoa…" Jade murmured, breaking the silence. "Valerie, you had martial arts training?"

"No…" Valerie mumbled, still shocked at what she had done. "But I played in the Highschool Baseball team…"

"Get her!" the man in white shouted as he and the Asian man suddenly charged.

"Argh!" Valerie shrieked in alarm. "Go! Go get help!" Valerie heard the 'WHOOSH' of motion as Jade used the speed talisman to race up the stairs.

The Asian man leapt into the air and tried to place a blow with the side of his hand towards Valerie's head, but she quickly held the broom in both hands and held it up horizontally in order to parry the strike and send the little man off to the side. Swinging the broom around to her right hand with the momentum, Valerie then held it like a javelin and jabbed it forward as the man in white came at her, hitting him in the stomach with the handle of the broom and winding him as he doubled over. Flipping it back around, Valerie held the broom again like a baseball bat and swung it as it hit the red-haired man around the face so that he spun around on the spot. She heard a shout and turned in time to see the Asian man come flying at her, and she barely had enough time to get out of the way rather awkwardly.

But Valerie had not noticed that Ratso had gotten back up and quickly charged up the stairs after Jade, searching for her on the landing as he saw her pounding on a door.

"Jackie-Jackie-Jackie-Jackie!" she yelled furiously fast, pounding her fist on the door, which opened just as Ratso was coming up behind her to grab her.

"Jade," Jackie moaned as he opened the door. "I thought I told you to – BWHA!" he exclaimed, eyes going wide and jaw dropping as he saw the member of the Dark Hand about to snatch up his niece. With a lightning fast strike, Jackie punched Ratso in the chest, sending him reeling back until he hit the banister and fell back and over it to fall to the floor on the level below – which conveniently happened to be on Chow, who Valerie was desperately trying to get away from as she run away from him around the shop. However, Finn came around the case she was running behind, causing Valerie to trip over her own feet as she tried to turn around too quickly. Finn wrapped his arms around her, pinning her against his chest as he held the broom with her in front of both of them, pinning her against him. She shrieked and kicked and struggled, managing to accidentally stand on his foot, sending them both to the ground with a yelp. But Finn was up first, grabbing the first object he could as a weapon, which just so happened to be one of Valerie's books.

"Nobody touches my books!" she yelled furiously, jumping to her feet, rage filling her as she swatted the broom at him. To Valerie, to disrespect a book was sacrilege! But she was no fighter, her swings were wide and Finn easily side stepped her.

Seeing the Dark Hand Enforcers in the shop, Jackie set his face into a mask of grim determination, as he jumped up from the upper-level balcony, flipped through the air and landed on the balls of his feet on the bottom floor, directly between Valerie and Finn, as he and the other Enforcers looked up at him with panicked expressions.

"Leave. Now." Jackie told them firmly.

The Enforcers quickly got up and fled the shop.

Jackie sighed in relief, sagging slightly as he gave a small smile and turned around to look at the woman behind him, who was staring at him with her mouth hanging open in astonishment.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly. Valerie quickly shook her head as if to clear it, and grinned at her boss – perhaps a little _too_ brightly.

"Fine? Well of course I'm fine, I mean it's not like three men just came in and tried to kidnap a young girl! I mean, who does that?! But I'm FINE! I'm totally fine! I beat them with a BROOM, you did your little backflip through the air which I didn't even know you could do, but I'M FINE! Yeah… I think I'll just…"

Her fast rambling came to a sudden end as Valerie promptly rolled her eyes and fainted.

* * *

The darkness of unconsciousness slowly thinned and Valerie slowly came back to the world of the living to find herself in a chair in Uncle's kitchen with Jade sitting next to her and staring at her, whilst Uncle was sipping his tea over a book, and Jackie was standing on the other side of the table talking with some bald headed man in a trench coat.

"Hey!" Jade yelled happily with a big grin. "She's waking up!"

Everyone turned to watch Valerie as she groaned as she sat up straighter, bringing a hand to her head and moaning as she felt a headache pound against her skull.

"Uh… w-what happened?" she asked drearily. But suddenly, she felt a sting against her face and yelped in surprise, and looked to see that Uncle had struck her with two fingers on the back of her head. "What did you just –?!" she hissed angrily but was cut off when Uncle spoke.

"You let the Dark Hand in the shop! They could have destroyed Uncle's antiques!" Uncle scolded her.

"That's not my fault!" she yelled.

"No, it's not," Jackie said softly, and Valerie turned to look at him as he sat down across the table from her. "It's our fault that you were not better prepared,"

"Better prepared…?" Valerie repeated, a slight shake in her voice as memories came back to her of a few hours ago. "What the hell is going on here?! Last I remember, my world was fine until I see Jade turn into a mini version of the Flash with the use of a magic rock! Then suddenly three thugs come in and want to kidnap her and I'm in the middle of a fight! I've never fought someone in my life! So can SOMEONE please tell what is going on around here?!" she demanded almost furiously.

"We need to tell her Jackie…" Jade said quietly.

"You little lady," the bald man spoke in a deep and soothing voice. "Have caused enough trouble already. Don't add your comments before you dig yourself a _deeper_ hole,"

"Uh… hehe…" Jade chuckled nervously as she looked at the man imploringly.

"But Jade is right," Jackie said as he sat down and leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. "Valerie, I'm ever so sorry about what happened today," he began softly. "But I never thought that the Dark Hand would do this,"

"Who's the Dark Hand?" Valerie interrupted sharply.

"The Dark Hand is a criminal organisation," the bald headed man spoke to her, crossing his arms over his chest as he gave her a level gaze. "They have ties to most criminal activity around the world, and it's my job to stop them,"

"And you are…?" Valerie raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously.

"Captain Augustus Black, head of Government Specialist Group: Section 13," he replied smoothly without even blinking.

"Okay…" Valerie gulped.

"Perhaps I best start at the beginning…" Jackie said. "About a few months ago, I discovered a shield that held a talisman,"

"These magical talismans? Like the one Jade showed me?" Valerie raised a brow at him.

"The properties of the talismans are still being investigated," Captain Black grumbled out with a disapproving look at Jackie.

"Anyway," Jackie said. "It turns out that the talisman was wanted by this criminal group, the Dark Hand, and so Section 13 wanted to stop them getting it. There are supposedly twelve talismans, each for an animal that represents the Chinese Zodiac, though we have only found four so far. As an archaeologist, I'm working with Section 13 in order to advise them on these ancient artefacts."

"And why are you telling me this?" Valerie asked with a suspicious look to Captain Black.

"Because you became partial to this information when Jade took it upon herself to tell you the story and then when the Dark Hand encountered you." The agent told her steadily. "Now that they've seen your face and Jade mentioned your name, they can find out who you are, they may try to hurt you."

"What?!" Valerie shrieked in panic.

"So for the time being, you will continue to work here where we can keep an eye on you and where you will be safe,"

"Also, because Uncle needs his assistant," Uncle added in.

"And besides," Captain Black continued. "We need to make sure that you don't go spreading classified information to the tabloids… treason is a bad sentence…" he let the statement hang, leaving Valerie with no room to doubt his meaning.

"Valerie," Jackie said imploringly. "I know that this is a lot to take in, and I understand if you do not want to work here anymore. But please let us protect you, it is the least we can do…"

Valerie looked at all of them, wondering at their sanity and partially her own for actually starting to believe this nonsense. Jade was trying to pull the puppy-dog face on her, Jackie was watching her as if she would faint again, Captain Black watched her with that calculated look, and Uncle raised a brow at her as if daring her.

"Well…" Valerie murmured, wetting her lips nervously as she took in a steadying breath as she looked at them all. "I guess I need SOME form of work to pay the rent."

"Woo-Hoo!" Jade cheered.

* * *

"You're telling me," Valmont growled out as he looked at his enforcers who were standing before his desk with their heads hung in shame at their master's scathing words. "That a woman beat you with a BROOM?" he asked them in a dangerously calm voice. "At first I thought your failures were because Chan was rather good… but now I see that you are all incompetent buffoons!"

All three men flinched as if they feared to be struck, especially with Shendu's seething red eyes on the back wall staring at them with barely suppressed fury.

"What do you know of her?" Valmont asked tightly.

"Not much," Finn spoke in a shaky voice. "Name's Valerie – kid didn't say her last name. Young, about early twenties? Chan's hired her as a shop assistant."

"And did you find the location of Section 13?"

"Uh…" Ratso murmured nervously.

"I wouldn't say…" Chow tried.

"Not so much," Finn finished.

"I see. You will be punished. You are dismissed." Valmont said coldly.

The Enforcers turned and all but ran from the room.

"I will look into this young woman," Valmont said. "See what we can find out about her and stop this from happening again,"

"See to it that you do, Valmont," Shendu hissed.


	2. A Little Lamb

A Little Lamb

* * *

"Come on now Val…" Jade murmured ominously as she narrowed her eyes at the blonde woman before her. Valerie tried to ignore her, keeping her mind focused even as she felt her hands begin to shake. "It's just you and me… At the end of this day, only one shall remain standing! Now, you must choose…"

Valerie locked eyes with the girl, the tension between them mounting.

"Fine," Valerie growled out. "I choose….. do you have any two's?"

"Nope!" Jade practically grinned with satisfaction. "But I know you have the last King! HA! Hand it over!"

"God-damn it!" Valerie cursed, though she couldn't stop her lips from twitching into a smile as she handed Jade the last King, leaving her down to her lonesome two and three fours. Jade grinned as she piled her four kings, emptying her hand. "Wait a minute… where did the other three twos and last four go?" Valerie asked.

"I don't know," Jade shrugged. "They got lost ages ago,"

"You could have told me that sooner," Valerie grumbled.

"What would be the fun in that?" Jade chuckled, and Valerie had to laugh with her, the girl was just too endearing.

It was a Saturday morning in the shop, and although still in her first week, Valerie was still enjoying her time at the new job – she couldn't say it was dull what with the regular talk of magic, talismans and evil ninjas. Sometimes it felt like a cross between a dungeons and dragons website forum and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cosplay. And that thought alone was enough to make Valerie chuckle.

"Hey Val," Jade suddenly said, using the nickname that she had given Valerie shortly after she had agreed to continue working in the antique store. Valerie turned to look at the young girl. "Are you really gonna stay here all weekend? Don't you… you know, have stuff to do?"

"My university course doesn't start till next week, so I have no homework. And might as well earn some extra pennies whilst I'm here," she smiled at the girl as she cleared away their game and began to get ready to get back to work – she never knew when Uncle was just around the corner to yell at her for 'slacking'.

"You don't want to go out with your friends?" Jade asked.

"The only people I've really talked to in San Francisco are your family and Captain Black," Valerie explained, feeling a twist of embarrassment in her stomach.

"Surely there must be someone though…" Jade trailed off, though her eyes looked up at the older woman sadly, as if she already knew. Valerie tried to give her a brave smile as the twist in her insides turned into a full stab.

"People my age… they are more into drinking, cars, video games and gossiping," she tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice as she spoke. "I like books, history, cosy nights in, studying and all that jazz,"

"Well, you know you got me, right?" Jade looked up at her dutifully.

"Yeah, I know," Valerie smiled, this time genuinely. "And anyway, what are you going to do with your weekend? Not spending all your time at the shop, surely?"

"Jackie's gonna be taking me to Melvin World as soon as he gets back!" Jade squealed excitedly, bouncing in place. "I can't wait!"

"You like Marlin Moose?" Valerie asked with an amused look.

"Duh,"

Just then, the doorbell rang, and both of them looked up in time to see Jackie walking through the door groggily, his suitcase hanging from his grip.

"Hey Jackie," Valerie said by way of greeting, but then noticed his absolutely exhausted appearance with tussled hair and deep bags under his eyes. "Oh… rough trip?"

"You have no idea…" he mumbled, but whatever he was about to say next was interrupted when Jade flew across the room at him.

"Jackie!" Jade exclaimed happily as she leapt into her uncle's arms, who was only barely awake enough to catch her in surprise.

"Hello Jade," Jackie said with a tired smile. "Did you –"

"I'm going to Melvin World!" Jade sang triumphantly.

"What?" Jackie asked in confusion, before comprehension finally came to him. "Oh… okay, but first I go home and get some sleep…"

"Ooooohhhh…" Jade moaned.

"Jackie!" Uncle came into the room, holding his arms out as if he were going to hug Jackie. "What did you bring me?"

"The sheep Talisman…" Jackie mumbled holding up the stone octagon with the engraving of a sheep upon one side.

"Good!" Uncle said happily as he snatched the talisman from Jackie's fingers. "Now we can do Research!"

"But I'm very tired…" Jackie moaned.

"Let him sleep Uncle, he needs it," Valerie said.

"Oh!" Uncle frowned suddenly, holding the Talisman to his ear, as if he were listening to it. "I'm sorry… wait…"

"The Talisman's speak now?" Valerie asked in a deadpan voice as she crossed her arms. Whilst she believed in all this talisman-magic-stuff (she couldn't really deny it seeing as she had seen it with her own eyes), the only way Valerie found that she could cope with all this magical mojo was if she only processed little pieces of information to believe at a time.

"What is it?" Jackie asked. "What do you hear?"

Uncle slapped him on the forehead with two fingers.

"I hear the sheep _not_ telling me what powers it holds!" Uncle grumbled. "I DO here the sound of our footsteps as we walk into the back room to translate inscriptions!" he said as he began to drag Jackie towards the back of the shop, Jade clinging to his other arm.

"Please Uncle!" Jackie pleaded. "I have been travelling for 18 hours; I jumped from a helicopter and ran along a falling train…"

"How are you not dead?" Valerie murmured, though she had to admit, she was slightly impressed.

"That is why you must relax with some good books…" Uncle said as he opened up the back room. Jackie groaned.

* * *

"Chan possess yet _another _talisman?" Shendu asked as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing, the enforcers and Valmont standing before the dragon-statue with uneasy looks. "While I have none?! You are _weak_ Valmont… and your men are _fools!_"

"That's it!" Finn snapped angrily, clearly almost as frustrated as Shendu himself. "I ain't taking no more lip from a statue!" he then reached into his jacket for his gun, but was stopped when Shendu's hissing voice cut across him.

"I am no _statue!" _Shendu snapped, finally having enough and deciding to assert his rightful dominance over these pathetic mortals. His eyes glowed with menace as he regarded the humans before him. "You stand in the presence of a _Demon Sorcerer_…" the dragon spoke ominously, so that all within the room were caught on his every word. "I once held dominion over a vast empire… but my subjects betrayed me…" he spoke spitefully as he was suddenly lost in his own memories: of ancient days, of china, and of the warrior Lo Pie who inspired such hate and rage in the dragon even nine hundred years later. "They cast a Chi spell which imprisoned me in this pitiful form, where I have remained for nine hundred years. The twelve magic talismans from which I drew my power were scattered to the winds…"

"Whoa…" Ratso murmured in awe.

"You got jacked," Finn added.

"Acquisition of all the Talismans will allow me to be free of my confinement and walk the earth once again…" Shendu finished his tale with a serpentine hiss.

"At which time," Valmont added as he turned to look at his enforcers. "We will be rewarded with the treasure of Ching Xi Hung; worth taking a little _lip_… don't you think?" Valmont raised his eyebrow at Finn who smiled nervously. "Retrieve the talisman," Valmont ordered.

"They probably still have it at the shop," Finn suggested.

"Nah, they got to have it at Section 13 by now," Ratso countered.

"Either way," Valmont interrupted. "Go to the Shop and see if it's there,"

"And this time," Shendu rumbled. "Watch out for _brooms_; if she had a_ mop_ she might have killed you," he added with dark humour.

* * *

"Waste of time," Ratso grumbled in the passenger seat of the car as they pulled up outside the Antique shop. "It's probably at Section 13 by now… wherever _that _is…"

But Finn wasn't paying attention to him as he watched the Talisman-finder, with its four snarling dragon-heads, one beginning to glow as it pointed in the direction of the shop. Finn smirked triumphantly at his partner.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you say something?" he grinned. But then, they heard the doorbell to the shop chime and looked across the street as they saw the young woman from before exit the shop, pausing only momentarily to shout back into the shop interior:

"Uncle! Jackie! I'm going to the store, you're out of tea again!" she called, and with that, she closed the door and began to walk down the street.

"Score!" Finn grinned as he and Ratso exited the car and began to quietly make their way into the shop.

They entered the store as quietly as they could, noticing that Chan and the old man were in the back working on books at the desk with their backs to the front door. Glancing at the dragon idol in his hand, Finn noticed how it was glowing in the direction of the stairs, and he looked at Ratso as he pointed up. They made their way upstairs, following the idol wherever it lead them as they were brought up towards the attic where they saw the kid that Chan always had with him. She was asleep on an old and dusty sofa… and what do you know? The Talsiman was sitting right in the palm of her hand!

"No way!" Ratso whispered.

"Yes way!" Finn grinned.

* * *

"So then Chan lifts a whole BUS off the ground and he chucks it at us!" Ratso exclaimed dramatically as he lifted his arms up as he demonstrated the pose to Valmont, who was tapping his fingers on his sleeves with impatience. Shendu was feeling the same as he would have ground his teeth with irritation as he glared at the two enforcers.

"He wasn't easy to take down, but…" Finn paused as he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out something and placed it upon the desk. "We knew how much you wanted this…" he then lifted his fingers and revealed the Sheep Talisman sitting upon the desk.

Valmont's brows rose slightly, the only indication of his surprise as he reached for the talisman, feeling the weight of it in his hand. He then promptly turned and threw the talisman at Shendu, the stone fitting perfectly in one of the twelve slots that were carved into his statue body. The talisman glowed, the carving of the sheep lighting up, and Shendu felt a rush of power flow into him, like a piece of him was fitting back into place.

"Cheers Shendu," Valmont smirked. "The first of an even dozen,"

Suddenly, Shendu felt the power wash over him as he felt the talisman activate with his will. He felt a rush of euphoria as he felt the ancient magic work through him and suddenly felt himself… move?

"_I am FREEEEEE_!" he cried with joy, but then remembered how it was only one talisman… and then also noticed how he was a disembodied spirit floating outside of his statue body. Returning to it, Shendu would have grinned as his eyes glowed at Valmont with approval. "The Sheep Talisman enables me to project my astral form…" he told them. "An admirable start, but I MUST have the others,"

"Yeah," Ratso moaned. "But finding Section 13 won't be as easy as taking a talisman out of a sleeping kid's hand – ogh!" he wheezed as Finn elbowed him in the stomach.

"Did that occur before or after Chan threw the _bus_?" Valmont eyed them.

But Shendu was no longer paying attention, his cunning mind racing with this new information. A child just happened to be sleeping with the sheep talisman in her hand, one that knocked the physical body unconscious whilst the soul wandered unheard and unseen? That could be no coincidence.

"This… _sleeping child_… may not be sleeping at all," Shendu mused aloud. "And if her spirit wanders her vessel has a vacancy!" he continued as he used the power of the sheep to project his spirit, breaking free of his stone shell and soaring through the room as a spectral serpent, a dark glee in his movements as he raced through the air, overjoyed to be free of his motionlessness, even if it wasn't physical.

He moved over the city of San Francisco, slithering through the air, through solid buildings and even through human bodies as he headed straight towards the destination of the Antique shop. Valmont had tapped into satellite surveillance on his computer, and Shendu had watched over his shoulder from his mounted place on the wall, so he knew where the shop was located. And besides, his sixth sense burned as he scented the use of magic, and much more specifically, HIS talisman magic. This was a good sign, he realised as he came onto the street where the Shop sat, as it meant that the child was still outside of her body.

Entering through the walls of the shop, Shendu rose up through the floors, following his sixth sense to the attic of the building, rising like a cobra as he saw the body of the girl lying limp and seemingly asleep on the chair, her uncle actually asleep not far away… and the curious sight of the spirit of the girl in the same room. He hissed at her threateningly before she could move towards her body. The girl turned, her eyes going wide with terror as she beheld him, and Shendu made his eyes glow within the massive smoke-coils that was his spiritual body.

"_Whoa_!" she exclaimed, soaring away from him in fright. "_What are you_?!"

"_Everything you will grow to fear_!" he snarled as he launched himself towards her, sweeping her aside with his huge 'body', making her shriek as she dodged away from him. Shendu slithered to her body and pushed himself inside. Now, when Shendu passed through normal people who were not astral projecting, he simply passed through them as if they were little more than air because the waking soul would simply repel him from the body, whereas a sleeping one would be dormant enough for him to enter and communicate but not possess and control. However, when a body was without a soul, it craved one to fill it in order to give it direction and make it function, so therefore it gladly welcomed Shendu, allowing him to easily slip inside the girl's head as if he were putting on new clothes.

It took him a moment to get himself acquainted with this new body, having inhabited stone for nine hundred years, it took just a second to get used to the soft flesh, supple bones, short stature and weak muscle structure that made the body of the child. But when he did, he immediately sat up straight, opening his eyes as he willed the red glow to soften in order to complete his disguise. He already had a perfect plan in mind for this body, one that would bring him one step closer – or _four_ – to being free of his stone prison.

Shendu made the body stand up, and walk over to the sleeping form of the infamous Jackie Chan, the one who had been giving him so many troubles as of late. There was a temptation to snap his neck right now and save himself the trouble of dealing with Chan later, but he needed him alive… for now. So, with a foot, Shendu nudged the sleeping man awake. At first all he did was moan, but then he slowly shook himself awake.

"Wha…" he murmured.

"Time to awaken dear uncle…" Shendu made the girl's body say with that innocent and sweetly voice.

"_Sorry Charlie_," Shendu heard the spirit of the child say angrily. "_But my body isn't big enough for the both of us!" _

Shendu knew what she was about to do, and almost had to laugh as he did not stop her as she came swooping through the air towards her body. But as she came to within touching distance of her own flesh, Shendu simply brought up a wall of his magic that instantly repelled her, sending her flying away from her body, her spirit coming to a stop somewhere in the air. She shook her head, almost a mixture of confusion, denial and panic coming across her face. But then, her expression hardened to one of anger, as she came at him again as Shendu was trying to pull Jackie Chan up and onto his feet. The girl tried to latch onto her physical arm and pull him out, though he only looked at her out of the corner of his eye as if she were only a slight annoyance.

"_Get out of there! Give me back my skin and bones_!" she yelled, but Shendu merely pushed her away. He then managed to get Chan up and onto his feet and began to lead him by the hand towards the stairs. Noticing how exhausted the man appeared to be, Shendu decided to use this to his advantage.

"You should not sleep on the floor uncle Jackie," he said with false concern.

"Oh…" Jackie yawned. "We should go back to Section 13,"

"Yes…" Shendu replied, for he could have purred: everything was already going according to plan! "Section 13…"

"JACKIE!" they heard someone shout, and Shendu presumed that it was the old man, Jackie's Uncle.

"Uh," Jackie slumped in defeat. "Eventually…"

Shendu growled in frustration. Now he remembered why he had never possessed people so much when he had been a living creature: humans were incredibly annoying!

"JACKIE!" the old man called again. "Valerie is nearly back from the grocery store! Come and help her with the bags!"

"Coming!" Jackie called down.

Shendu followed Jackie down the stairs to the main body of the shop, and all the while the spirit of the pestering girl followed them.

"_Jackie_!" she cried desperately. "_She's not me! You gotta listen_!" but Jackie just passed right through her. Shendu looked straight at the spirit that now hovered in front of him, a smile playing across his lips as he taunted her with her own flesh.

"_Scream all you wish, child…_" he whispered to her mind, spirit to spirit. "_They are deaf to you…_"

Suddenly, the doorbell rang as someone entered the store and Shendu looked over in time to see a woman enter, her arms heaped with two full bags of shopping. She deposited them on the counter by the door, wiping her feet on the doormat as she turned to –

Shendu felt his breath freeze in his body's throat as he beheld the face of the woman before him. Flashing images of memories coming to him from centuries past… Mei, her lovely face blushing under a blossom tree, her blood spilled upon a battle ground, the source of all his present torment. For a moment, Shendu felt a flash of panic that this was Mei before him, somehow alive and before him. But then he realised that that was a ludicrous idea. Mei was dead, perhaps long since buried, and this woman was not her, even though they shared a passing resemblance.

Mei had been a lovely creature like that of garden flowers, her dark hair smoothed and brushed to perfection, her eyes glittering like still pond water, her figure petite and fragile. This woman was a different creature entirely: this was a beauty that was wild and presently untamed, with her smooth skin, long and thin face, clear cut cheeks that stood out to give her face an unusual angle. Her hair was like the colour of wheat, shoulder length and perhaps brushed this morning but work and the outside elements hand tangled it into a charmingly tussled appearance. Where Mei had been small and femininely petite, this woman was taller and straight with hardly any womanly curves. But the one thing they did have in common was their eyes: crystal blue that sparkled like clear water. It was these eyes that connected them, that and the little things like the curve of their necks, the structure of their teeth, the length of their fingers… Shendu found himself wondering at the possibilities. Perhaps this was a descendant of Mei? But how could that be? Shendu found himself biting at his fleshy cheek as he wanted to know more.

"Valerie," the old man complained as he saw her shopping bags. "I asked you to get tea bags, not the whole store!"

Shendu had to blink. This was the Valerie who had beaten Valmont's imbecilic men with a broom? The one who suddenly held his curiosity for the time being was _the_ Valerie?

"I needed to buy a few things for my dinner tonight," Valerie explained. "Don't worry I didn't use any of _your_ money,"

"No wonder you took so long!" the old man whined.

"Hey, I got the tea didn't I?" she said as she produced a box of tea bags from one of the shopping bags and began to walk towards the kitchen. Shendu thought it to be a great opportunity to follow her… unfortunately, to his great annoyance, he was in turn followed by the spirit of the girl.

_"What do you want with my body?!"_ she pleaded desperately, though he ignored her, instead keeping his focus on the woman in front of him as she went to the kitchen worktop. She filled the kettle and put it on to boil as she began to find the china tea set and began to fiddle with tea leaves and properly preparing the tea. Shendu was surprised, this was the ancient way of making tea, how mortals did so when he ruled all of Asia, Valerie was toiling over this when he spotted the box of easy tea bags within arm's reach.

"You should not toil so over tea, Valerie," Shendu said in the girl's sweet voice, blinking the child's eyes in an attempt to appear adorable. He wanted to know more about Valerie, and he knew that human's had a very large soft spot for their kind's offspring.

"Yeah, well… Uncle refuses to drink anything but proper tea leaves. He thinks it helps soothes his mind. God knows it doesn't sooth his temper," she mumbled the last bit with a wink to Shendu – or Jade's body.

"He will not know the difference. It will make you quicker," Shendu pointed out.

"I tried, but he knew. Practically threw a fit – I thought he would pop a hip," she chuckled at her own joke.

Shendu looked about him, noticing the spirit of the girl still hovering and glaring at him as she studied him with a scrutinising gaze. Smirking at her, he dragged a chair from the table to the work surface beside Valerie and climbed up so that he was level with her.

_"Leave Valerie alone! And what do you want with Jackie?!"_ the girl cried. Shendu grinned sadistically for only the spirit to see, as he purposefully slowly reached out and grasped the handle of a cleaver, brandishing the blade of the knife so that it glinted in the afternoon light. Immediately he saw the girl's face contort with horror as she turned and shot through the wall as fast as she could, squealing: "_AH! JACKIE! JACKIE! JACKIE! LOOK OUT!"_

Shendu struggled keeping his dark chuckle to himself as he turned back to the work station and pulled out an orange from Valerie's shopping bag and began to chop into it with the cleaver.

"Refreshments, anyone?" he called out so that Chan and the old man would hear his sweet sing-song voice. It grated on his spine to be this sickly sweet, but he knew that if he wanted to get to Section 13 and his talismans, he needed to play nice with his enemies.

As he chopped, the kettle boiled and he and Valerie worked side by side for a moment to prepare a tray to take into the other room. Shendu was actually surprised at how well they synchronised their work together, even though the demon-in-human-skin had much better reflexes from his millennia of existence. But then, he noticed how one of his orange slices rolled away, and his hand darted to catch it, but so did Valerie's.

Their hands collided as the woman's fingers brushed the back of Shendu's human hand. And instantly, Shendu felt a jolt run through his burrowed body, his demon-magic swelling within him until he thought he might burst from –

"Ow!" Valerie yelped as she sharply withdrew her hand, shaking it as she grimaced in slight pain. "Electric shock," she muttered.

Shendu blinked, surprised once again. She had felt that too? Shendu had thought he had been the only one who could, he had felt his dark chi grow and manifest inside of him, until he thought he could crush this entire building, even in this frail and weak child's body.

"I'm sorry Valerie," he said, though didn't mean it, he was actually rather interested in touching her again to see what would happen.

"Not your fault," she murmured as she looked at her hand as if inspecting for a wound. Shendu had to struggle not to roll his eyes, it was only a shock. "Curiouser and curiouser…" she murmured.

"What?"

"Please don't tell me you haven't read _Alice in Wonderland_ Jade," Valerie raised her eyebrows in surprise. "That's a classic! Surely you should have covered it in school!"

"Not as of yet," Shendu said vaguely, knowing that one wrong answer could make the woman suspicious if he did something the "real Jade" would not do.

"'You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.' Jane Austen." Valerie smiled. "'I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you are unarmed.' William Shakespeare,"

"A book is like a garden carried in the pocket," Shendu murmured, but Valerie heard him and turned to look at him with praising eyes.

"Exactly!" she beamed. "Good Chinese proverb there,"

"The Chinese were wise people," Shendu said, feeling a lick of bitterness inside of him as he reminded himself that it was _HIS_ wisdom and iron rule that had uplifted those rats from the mud.

"Oh yes, very wise – and advanced. They invented fireworks, alcohol, even proper paper." Valerie rambled animatedly. Shendu was surprised once again, for this woman seemed very knowledgeable in the way of history.

He had to smirk to himself, for Valerie was unintentionally capturing the interest and curiosity of the Demon Sorcerer before her. Many would consider that dangerous. What was perhaps even more dangerous, was the fact that he was starting to see more of Pei in her, not so much Mei. At a glance, she resembled Mei, but that woman had been a flower who only knew womanly attributes of her time. But her father had been inquisitive, righteous and educated, and Valerie was more leaning towards him in personality.

"Where do you come from, Valerie?" he asked bluntly.

"You know where," Valerie said as she stirred the tea and began to set the tray. "I come from Toronto."

"No, I meant your family,"

"Oh, well… I don't really know. My mum says that her family came to Canada with European settlers in the seventeen hundreds,"

Shendu had to hold back his growl of frustration. That gave him no direct answers. But he had to wonder, was it possible that…

But then his mind was brought back to the matter at hand when Valerie started to make her way towards the kitchen door with the tray of tea and fruit. Shendu deftly put himself in her path, and looked up at her with an innocent look with hidden dangerous eyes.

"Let me carry that in for you Valerie," he said, and promptly took the tray from her before she could protest. He then carried it into the back room where Chan and the old man were sitting at a desk surrounded by books, with the spirit of the girl hovering above them, trying to be heard by her relatives.

"Orange slices and Oolong tea for my cherished elders?" he smiled up at the two adults as Valerie came into the room behind him. The spirit of Jade blanched.

"Wonderful," the old man mumbled, his eyes glancing at Valerie as she sat in an armchair with a book in her lap.

"Thank you, Jade," Jackie smiled as he and Uncle both took a slice and cup.

_"It's probably poisoned!_" the spirit cried, but of course no one heard her, though that didn't stop her from continuing. "_DON'T! Jackie – NO!" _

But Jackie drank from the cup, sighing appreciatively, his eyes drooping slightly from his apparent exhaustion.

"Mmmm, delicious," he said with an approving smile to his niece's body.

"And nutritious," Shendu added.

_"Jackie!"_ the spirit whirled around her uncle's head, angrily scolding him though he could not hear her. _"She is sooooooo not me! How could you fall for that sweet as pie routine?! She's obviously an imposter! She's some kind of evil-spirit-thing! But… why would an evil spirit act so nice?"_ the girl asked herself. Though everyone ignored her.

"Please forgive my interruption," Shendu said to the adults, wanting to get to the root of his mission quickly. "But I wish to go to Section 13 now," he blinked expectantly.

_"And why would it want to go to… Ah!" _the girl exclaimed suddenly, and Shendu had to stop himself from looking at her or giving any kind of reaction to her. _"SECTION 13! The other talismans! She – IT – must be working for the Dark Hand!"_

Shendu had to hold back his bark of laughter. _He,_ work for the Dark Hand?! It was so stupid an idea that he would have considered it an insult if it wasn't so humorous and ludicrous a thought!

"Oh well," Jackie yawned. "Jade wants to go, so I'll just – OW!" he yelped when the old man flicked him. "Arrange a ride for her," he grumbled.

Shendu couldn't hold back his grin of triumph.

* * *

Valerie was still engrossed in her book whilst Jackie was on the phone to Captain Black. She looked up briefly from the pages of inscription translations – which she was silently finding fascinating – in order to see Jackie slump against the wall, clearly exhausted and almost falling asleep whilst speaking. Jade was waiting by the door, her body unusually upright and stock still, as if she were a cat on alert. Perhaps the girl was more upset about not going to Melvin World then Valerie had thought, maybe she needed to go to Section 13 (where Valerie had realised that Jackie and his niece lived). Uncle was at his desk, holding a magnifying glass to one of his books as he studied the text.

Valerie loved books, she practically called them her best life-long friends, but even she was beginning to feel frustrated at their lack of progress at finding a translation for the talisman. _Perhaps, if Uncle's books were better categorised_, she thought with a slight huff, _then this might be easier._

"Okay," Jackie said as he came off the phone and turned back to Jade. "Captain Black will be here to pick you up in a few minutes."

And true to his word, a large black van pulled up outside the shop, and Captain Black knocked on the door. Valerie stood in the doorway to the backroom, watching out of the storefront window as Captain Black took Jade into the van. Jackie said goodbye and waved them off, before walking back into the backroom and slumping into his chair. Valerie watched the van drive off, before joining him back in her armchair, unenthusiastic about picking up the translation book once again.

"HTCHA!" Uncle exclaimed, making both Valerie and Jackie jump and look over at the old man as he peered over his text book with a magnifying glass. "The Sheep Talisman possess the power of Astral Projection," he declared.

"What's that?" Valerie frowned. "Like when the consciousness is outside the body?"

"In a way, yes," Uncle agreed.

"Great," Jackie smiled, before slumping back in his chair. "Night-night!" he promptly tried to fall asleep and snore.

"One more thing!" Uncle said, causing Jackie to jump back awake. "Astral bodies can pass through walls, but they cannot be seen, or heard,"

"So… not so much messengers, but more spies," Valerie summarised.

"Unless," Uncle continued. "They enter a person's dreams,"

Valerie looked over at Jackie… who had fallen back to sleep again. She did pity the poor guy, he had had it rough the past day or so. Unfortunately, Uncle saw him asleep as well and with a scowl, he flicked his forehead, causing Jackie to bolt awake.

"BWHA!" Jackie exclaimed as he sat bolt upright.

"One MORE thing…" Uncle loomed over Jackie with a broom in hand. "You forget to sweep the store!"

Jackie practically whimpered.

"Here Uncle," Valerie said, closing her book and taking the broom from the old man. "I'll do it, let Jackie go sleep upstairs."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Jackie whispered to her as he hurriedly made his escape before Uncle could protest.

Uncle grumbled about making himself some coffee – though Valerie was a little concerned as he had only had tea not that long ago – whilst Jackie went upstairs to his old room to sleep, and Valerie swept the store. It was nearing closing time for the shop, and therefore close to Valerie's quitting time. She calmly made her usual rounds in the peaceful shop: sweep the floor, clean the kitchen, check the till, and make sure everything was locked up. However, she didn't even make it through half of that list, when all of a sudden she heard a commotion come from Jackie's room, and she turned just in time to see him barrel out of the door and race down the steps as if the hounds of hell were at his heels, and he raced for the backroom.

"Jackie?!" Valerie exclaimed, shocked. "What's going on?"

But Jackie didn't answer, and as Valerie quickly followed him, she saw him reach for the box where they had put the talisman but finding nothing inside.

"Oh no!" Jackie gasped in horror. "My dream was no dream…"

"What?" Valerie frowned at him, confused, as Uncle walked into the room behind her.

"Jade is right…" he murmured as he gave the box to Uncle.

"Right about what?" Valerie asked, but no one answered as Uncle looked into the box with horrified eyes.

"Where is the Talisman?" he asked.

"Jade has it! Er, argh! I–I mean HAD it," Jackie fumbled. "This will sound crazy but –"

"Jade took the Talisman and now she is trapped in astral form while an evil spirit walks in her body!" Uncle shrieked in a rush, seemingly terrified as his eyes went wide.

"Ah… yes," Jackie, said, rather mystified.

"Wait-What?!" Valerie squawked, her mind tripping over itself to process the information she had just heard.

"The Sheep Talisman put a wolf in sheep's clothing," Uncle murmured. "You two find Jade, and I will find a Chi spell to banish the wolf."

"Wait – WHAT?!" Valerie exclaimed. "Could someone please tell me what is going on!"

"I'll explain on the way – come on!" Jackie yelled in a rush as he grabbed her hand and began to run with her out of the store, half dragging her along. Valerie shrieked as she was pulled out of the store and was running after Jackie down the street.

"Jackie!" she shouted to him. "Please explain, NOW!"

"Err… long story short," Jackie huffed as he continued to run, Valerie finding it rather difficult to keep up with him. "Jade took the talisman, its power sent her spirit out of her body. The Dark Hand came into the shop when we weren't looking, and grabbed it. Now something _ELSE_ is in Jade's body and trying to get to the other Talismans!"

"So wait… Jade is POSSESSED?!" Valerie's eyes went wide and she nearly tripped over her own feet in shock.

"Pretty much, yes!" Jackie rushed as he turned a corner.

"And how do you know this?!" she called as she turned the corner after him.

"Because the REAL Jade told me in a dream!"

"Saying you're taking direction from a dream is not very reassuring!"

"Just follow me!"

"But where are we going?!" she shouted as she was falling further behind and tried to catch up, but her legs already screaming in pain.

"Melvin World!" Jackie shouted back to her as he picked out his phone from his pocket and was already pressing speed-dial. "Captain Black!" Jackie gasped when the other end picked up. "Trust me! You're in terrible danger! Jade is Evil!"

Whatever Black said, Valerie didn't hear; she was too busy locating and watching an empty cab that was coming towards them down the street.

"No!" Jackie shouted down the phone hysterically. "You don't understand! Jade is –!" but the phone cut off, the other line disconnected. Valerie, meanwhile, waved her arms as she ran into the road in front of the cab, throwing caution to the wind as she frantically signalled for it to stop. The driver beeped his horn at her furiously, and stamped onto the breaks until it came to a screeching halt not two feet from her. Valerie tried not to whimper.

"Jackie!" She shouted to the man, who almost slipped on the pavement with his sudden stop, he saw Valerie standing by the cab, and an instant later they were climbing into the backseat. "Melvin World, as fast as possible please!" Valerie ordered the cabbie, and they were then racing away as the Cab did a U-turn in the road and sped towards the nearby amusement park.

Not ten minutes later, they arrived, and Valerie all but threw whatever change she had in her pocket at the driver as she and Jackie hurriedly climbed out. They quickly made their way into the park, even as an announcer said on the speakers that Melvin World was closing. As they came into the park, the pair of them looked frantically about them for any sign of the familiar short, black haired girl and the bald, serious man as her companion. Jackie was the one who spotted them, when they saw Captain Black, one of his agents and little grumpy looking Jade standing beside a large Melvin Moose costume for a photo. As they drew close, Valerie saw the moose lean in close to the little girl.

"Drr, smile for the camera!" the man in the costume said in a dopey voice. Jade only looked at him with such a cold expression, one would think she would start sprouting horns and fire.

"Soon I shall devour your soul," she hissed to the moose. The man gasped as he quickly recoiled from her.

Valerie didn't know whether to laugh in hysterics or shiver with fear.

"Captain Black! Get away from her!" Jackie shouted as he and Valerie ran up to them. Captain Black looked up at the pair of puffing and panting adults before him as if he didn't know whether to feel concerned or amused, and decided to try for both as he held up a hand to them.

"Whoa there Jackie!" he smiled, but Valerie saw that the young girl was glaring at her as she _growled_.

"She's not really Jade!" Jackie yelled. "The Talisman's magic has made her a sheep! Err, n-no-no-no-I mean-!"

"Jackie!" Valerie hissed. "Black, she's possessed!"

Captain Black frowned at the pair of them, his mood instantly draining from his face as he gave them each a look that said '_really'?_ And then Valerie remembered: Black didn't believe that the Talisman's held any form of magic, as any _sane_ person would.

"I'll prove it!" Jackie looked around, searching desperately for something, anything, before he yanked on the poor man in the Moose Costume and pulled it towards the body of his niece. "WHAT'S THE MOOSE'S NAME?! THE NAME!" He practically screamed at the girl as he pointed at the Moose's nose.

Jade's eyes shifted uneasily as she growled again, Valerie was a little unnerved, she didn't think humans could growl so convincingly.

"You can't name it, can you?!" Jackie insisted to the stoic little girl as he shoved away the Moose in question. "YOU'RE EVIL! YOU'RE EVIL!" He screamed.

Valerie promptly face-palmed.

"Jackie…" the condescending tone of Captain Black's voice spoke out as he gently took his friend by the shoulders, seemingly actually concerned. "You look like you could use a little sleep –"

_CRACK._

Valerie suddenly looked to see two pincher grips on Black and his agent's shoulders as the pair of them suddenly went rigid, and collapsed to the floor, limp.

"Oh my god!" Valerie shrieked as she stared in wide-eyed horror at the bodies. "Are they dead?!"

"_Not yet…_" Everyone turned to see Jade standing beside Black's body, but her eyes were orbs of glowing red, and the voice… Valerie felt an involuntary shiver run down her spine and her breath catch in her throat as she heard that voice. It was a snake like hiss with the articulation of someone that belonged to an ancient world, but a menacing power, a growl to it that was barely contained beneath the surface.

"Who are you?" Jackie whispered as he stared in horror at his niece.

"_Your executioner_…" The voice hissed as it grinned sadistically at Jackie.

Valerie yelped and leapt back as Jade's possessed body raced towards Jackie, swinging for him, though he easily out stepped her or even placed a hand on her head to prevent her from getting closer. Being in the body of a ten year old was no advantage against a martial arts master, Valerie summarised.

"Jade!" Jackie tried to say as he attempted to restrain the body of his niece without hurting her, despite her obvious attempts to harm him. "Stop that! Or…or, err, I-I'll give you a spanking!"

"_As you wish,_" that voice snarled out from Jade's mouth. "_This is not MY body!_" Valerie shrieked again as Jade leapt into the air, aiming a flying kick for Jackie's chest, though Jackie caught her and hugged her close to him, restraining her as the girl struggled in his grip. "_WEAK little girl!_" the voice hissed to himself – for Valerie thought that it sounded male.

Jade planted her feet on Jackie's chest and pushed off from him to flip away and land back out of reach, before turning around and sprinting away towards the fun-house. Jackie sprinted after her.

Valerie was left feeling alone and utterly useless as she wrung her hands anxiously, going to the body of Captain Black and rolling him onto his back. She didn't trust that… _thing,_ it might have lied that Black was still alive. She hastily pressed her ear to his chest and struggled to listen for a heartbeat through his thick trench coat and her own pounding heart in her ears. She only breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the steady "boom" in his chest. She tried to shake him awake, but got no response, she even slapped him like they did in the movies, thinking it might work, but nothing worked.

Suddenly, she heard a crash, and she spun on her heel in time to see the giant board of Melvin Moose suddenly collapse, with the distinct figure of Jackie on top of it as well as several other black shapes. Valerie struggled to make out what they were, but as they acrobatically leapt and flipped towards Jackie, she had to wonder, was this the Shadowkhan that Jade told her about? But she had no time to think on it, as she watched the board fall towards the rollercoaster tracks, with Jackie still on it.

"JACKIE!" she screamed.

Jackie fell onto the track of the rollercoaster, almost tripping and falling off, though he barely managed to keep himself on. The freaky-black-ninjas followed him every step of the way.

Valerie heard a whirring sound and turned to look at the entrance to the rollercoaster ride, just in time to see Jade – or her possessed body to be precise – switch something on the ride console and walk towards the rollercoaster carriage. Valerie felt an icy feeling of dread claw at her stomach, and before she knew what she was doing, she was turning and running towards the figure.

* * *

Shendu watched with growing frustration as Chan continued to elude death as he fell from the giant-moose-board onto the rollercoaster tracks, racing down them with his momentum until he reached a stop and continued to fight the Shadowkhan as if they were on even ground! The demon spirit wanted nothing more than to snarl and spit fire at the annoying mortal, but this body was useless for practically everything!

Well, _almost_ useless, Shendu thought slyly as he looked over at the console that would power up the ride. The idiot Captain Black had taken him on the ride earlier when he believed that "Jade" had wanted to come to Melvin World, which Shendu had _LOATHED_ the entire time. But Shendu remembered that the ride went at a very fast pace… fast enough to break bones. With a wicked smile, Shendu operated the controls on the console, the park was closed and the staff were gone now, so all he had to do was flip a switch, pull a handle and then go towards the carriage. He wanted to make sure he broke Jackie Chan into a thousand pieces.

"_What are you…_" the spirit of the girl asked as she followed him, but he ignored her as he walked to the carriage. "_Hey! Stop!"_

"Wait!" a voice shouted.

Shendu turned in time to see the woman, Valerie, running towards him, a desperate look on her face. Shendu was curious as to what she was doing, but knew he had more pressing matters to tend to and so climbed onto the ride as the brakes released and it slowly began to pull away.

Suddenly he felt a thump as something impacted with the carriage and he turned in his seat to see Valerie lying across the backseat, clutching at the bars as she tried to stay in place as they began to pick up speed. She sat herself up as she looked to him with a pleading expression, her eyes locking with his as if she could see past his mortal flesh and see the real creature beneath.

"Please!" she begged in a loud voice in order to be heard over the clanking of the ride as they were pulled to the height of the first incline. "Stop! Give us Jade back, we don't want any trouble, please stop this!"

"_There is no stopping it_…" Shendu hissed at her as he turned around, unconcerned as the woman shakily tried to climb into the next carriage closer to him, trying to reach him, even though she shrieked with fear and clutched the handle bars when they turned a corner and the leaning carriage threatened to send her into the abyss.

"What do you want?!" she shrieked as she half fell into the carriage, her grip on the side enough to turn her knuckles white.

But Shendu didn't answer, only smiled when they picked up speed again as they came over the top of another incline and he saw that Chan was directly ahead of them, straight in his line of sight and unprepared for the high speed ride coming straight towards him.

"_JACKIE!_" Both the woman and the spirit beside him screamed at the same time.

Chan turned in time to see Shendu coming towards him, and dropped down through the gaps in the tracks just as Shendu passed over him. He growled when he saw that the man was unharmed as he climbed back onto the tracks from where he had held the bottom.

"_You are SO not fighting fair!_" the spirit scolded Shendu, though he ignored her, watching Chan and seeing if there was a way to reach him. The only way was when he would be passing underneath the track the human was on in a few moments –

"Stop this!" Valerie shouted as Shendu suddenly felt her hands grip onto his arm as she pulled herself up behind him in the seats at his back, she latched her other hand onto his other wrist in an attempt to restrain him. "Enough!"

But once again, when she touched him, Shendu felt a rush of energy flow into him so suddenly he was almost taken aback by it. He gasped as he felt the power fill him up to the brim, as if he was filled with helium and about to float away. He heard the woman hiss as the electric shock stabbed at her again just like before, and Shendu used that moment to flip himself backwards, almost dislocating his body's arms in the process. He landed with his heels on Valerie's back, knocking the wind from her and loosening her grip on him enough to tear her away. Instantly he felt the power fade, and he was almost angry for it. He wrenched one arm behind her back and grabbed a handful of her hair with his free hand. She screamed in pain and tried to kick him off, wriggling and bucking and almost unseating him, he was almost –

Suddenly, Shendu felt the carriage jump as something slammed into it with a loud "THUD", and an instant later an arm wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his sides and effectively restraining his child body. He instantly struggled but Chan held him firm.

"It's for you," the man snapped as he shoved something against Shendu's ear.

"Hello?" came the voice of the old man from the shop. Shendu continued to struggle, but was stopped cold at what he suddenly heard on the other end of the phone. "_Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao… Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao… Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao,"_

Shendu heard the chant, the magic of the Chi Spell soaked into his spirit, his eyes widening as he felt its grip on him and begin to rip his spirit from his borrowed body. Shendu struggled to stay in place, but the good chi countered his own as it pulled him and tore him out of the body with a blaze of red light.

"_NO_!" he shrieked as he was ejected from the body of the girl, which instantly went limp without a soul to direct it. Flung into the air in his serpentine spirit form, Shendu instantly tried to retake his stolen vessel, but the moment he tried to touch it, a wall of magic was raised and blasted him away, making him shriek with pain as recoiled from it. He was banished, with no way of getting back in; his weak form without the full strength of his true body as well as his other talismans meant that he could not even blast apart the Chi Spell that kept him out. He seethed as he looked upon the faces of his enemies, Chan holding the body of the girl as he worriedly tried to wake her. The demon's gaze lastly fell upon Valerie as she climbed to her knees and tried her best to help. Shendu slithered his spirit up beside her brushing his snake-like body along her arm, but upon contact, he felt no rush of energy as he had when he had been flesh; as he suspected, without a physical form there was no way for the energy to transfer – which Shendu was still curious as to what it was. And then, acting on an impulse, he snaked his head close to hers, his mind brushing hers, as he whispered to her: "_You and I will meet again very soon…"_

Valerie flinched as if she had actually heard something, spiking Shendu's curiosity all the more, but then the woman relaxed and shrugged it away, completely forgetting in the next moment. Now, with no body to steal and no other way to get to his talismans, Shendu reluctantly accepted defeat and flew through the air back towards the skyscraper that Valmont owned. He reached the top floor and ruefully settled back into his body.

"Blasted Chi Spell…" he hissed angrily to himself.

Unfortunately, he wasn't alone. Valmont was sitting at his desk and turned around as he heard the dragon statue speak.

"Shendu? Back so soon?" Valmont struggled to keep his self-satisfied smirk off his features as he spoke in a mockingly innocent voice. "Oh, and what – no Talismans?"

"ENOUGH!" Shendu roared so loud that Valmont actually jumped in his seat, looking very uneasy as he slowly wiped that smug look off of his face. Shendu's eyes glowed as he glared at the human, his anger at his own failure was doubled by the fact that he was trapped in this stone prison and unable to move once again. "Have you found any information on the girl working with the Chans?" Shendu demanded.

"Yes I have," Valmont said in more cautious tone to the demon's mood. "By taking a look at Chan's bank account, he has made payments to one Valerie Payne. It wasn't exactly _difficult,_ almost her entire life is on public record."

"Tell me everything,"

"Alright," Valmont murmured as he turned to his computer on his desk and brought up a file and began to read off the information to Shendu. "Valerie Payne: Born in Washington, her mother Stephanie Payne, originally from Canada, put her under her name as she and her partner were not married at the time of Valerie's birth. She went to public schools, notably succeeding in the field of history. Her parents married when she was two but divorced when she was ten and young Valerie lived with her father in Washington whilst her mother returned to Toronto Canada to pursue her career in Law. Valerie graduated to become a history student, but left her university when her father, a police detective, died last year. She moved in with her mother for three months, before moving to San Francisco and now attends the San Francisco University as a history undergraduate student and working for Jackie Chan."

"What of her family history on her mother's side? Where did they come from?" Shendu asked.

"The Payne family have lived in Canada for many generations but were originally European settlers," Valmont answered. "Other than that I can't find much of them. It seems we have nothing to fear from Miss Payne, she is an ordinary and uninteresting girl,"

But Shendu wasn't entirely convinced, something about Valerie called to him. Was it the resemblance she had to Lo Mei? Was it the way she held his curiosity or how she amused him? Or was it the weird transfer of energy between them whenever they touched? All these questions in Shendu's mind, and each wanted answers. Answers that he would find out for himself soon enough. He was almost convinced that Valerie was a descendant of Lo Mei, and therefore a descendant of Lo Pei. How wonderful would it be to have sweet vengeance on the descendant of the one who imprisoned him? In the meantime however, it would be most wise to keep a close eye on his prey. Just to see what happened next.

* * *

**Author's Note: A big thank you to everyone who reviewed! Thank you guys, it really meant a lot to me to have your support! I hope everyone enjoyed the second chapter, and as you can see I will be following the show though I will make some adjustments in order to better fit my story. Hope that is okay! :)**

**Now please leave a review, I would love to hear your thoughts and some of your suggestions. :) Until next time! **


	3. Playing With Fire

Playing With Fire

* * *

It was late at night in San Francisco, though it was never truly still, a general hush had fallen over the city, allowing all those to remain in bliss in their dreams. This was also the time when the fabled witching hour could begin.

The office was deserted, the lights turned off, the only illumination being from the moonlight that filtered in through the windows. It was rather eerie, but for one such as Shendu, he had nothing to fear; in fact, he rather welcomed the night and all its horrors, for he was once master of it all. He and his kind had all the monsters that plagued the nightmares of man bow to them, their masters, so Shendu remembered rather wistfully the banshees that screamed in the night, or the flesh eating monsters that came with the moon. He remembered a simpler world, a more primitive one, one that had bowed before the might of Demon-Sorcerers and served them as was their place. Shendu and his own siblings had ruled most of the world at one point in history, but even that was now forgotten, just like this night would be for those who were not even awake to remember it.

With no Valmont and no imbecilic Dark Hand thugs to try his patience, the Demon-Sorcerer found that this was the only time with which he could actually relax and feel his anger dissipate to the night winds. It was also the only time he could do as he pleased with no prying eyes watching him and questioning him. Despite his failure when possessing Chan's niece and then being banished, Shendu was not constrained to his statue prison, he could activate the Sheep Talisman at any time and he could wander the earth as a spirit, spying on whatever he pleased, but he could not enter the Antique Shop where Chan was, he was blocked by a Chi Spell that prevented him from going anywhere near Chan, his family or the shop. Shendu was rather shocked and yet greatly angered by the fact that the Old Man simply called "Uncle" had turned out to be a rather competent Chi Wizard. Wasn't that just a hitch in Shendu's plans.

But there was one who hadn't been protected.

Perhaps they thought that he had no interest in her, or that she didn't know anything important to risk, but Shendu had discovered that the girl, Valerie, was open to him. And it was times like now, in the dead of night, when he could watch her.

Activating the Sheep Talisman, Shendu rose from his statue body, his spirit soaring through the air as he passed through walls and into the night above San Francisco. He knew where he was going, he had had his Shadowkhan silently track and follow Valerie from when she had left the shop to her apartment not too far away from her work. Once they had discovered the location, they came back to report to him. So now Shendu slithered through the sky until he came to the moderate apartment building, nothing fancy nor was it decrepit. He slunk to the north corner of the building, on the sixth floor; there he passed through the wall and entered into Valerie's home.

It wasn't squalor by any means, but it wasn't… it was merely average; that was the only way to describe it: a very small, one bedroom apartment, with an open kitchen and living room and a bathroom. The bare essentials. A double sofa and old Television with a small, cheap glass coffee table made up the living room, with only a few photographs hanging on the wall. The most numerous, was of a man in his late thirties to early forties, with brown hair and large round glasses, he was smiling a huge goofy grin in most of the photos, and they were all mainly of him doing something: cooking, posing in front of the White House, leaning to smile out of his car window, or working at a desk. Shendu found it rather odd to have so many pictures dedicated to one man, and he found it rather confusing and annoying for Valerie to have this. But then, he saw one photograph in a frame stood up on top of the TV, the same man was in the picture, but two others were with him: a woman with golden hair but ever so slightly Asian features in her high cheekbones and rounded chin, and between them, was a young girl, perhaps five years old, with long scraggily blonde hair sparkling water blue eyes.

_It was her father,_ Shendu realised, remembering that Valmont had told him that Valerie's father had died last year, which would explain why she had so many pictures of him. But casting that from his mind, Shendu dismissed his findings for they meant nothing to him, and he ventured towards the bedroom, the door ajar and light spilling through into the dark hallway, quite surprising given the late hour.

Yet when he entered, Shendu found Valerie sitting up in her bed, dressed in white pyjamas, her hair damp and in tangled heaps to just past her shoulders, the thick blanket was across her legs; she sat with her knees up, a cup of cold tea in one hand, the other was resting on the book in her lap and keeping it in place as she read. Her eyes darted from line to line, an animation in their depths as she drank in every word and pictured it in her mind. Curious and knowing that she couldn't see him, Shendu floated above her and peered at the book in her lap to read the title at the top of the page: "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". Shendu remembered that one, his owner at the time when the book had been published had gone on a rant about it, telling everyone he invited about his opinions on the book. Shendu had remained silent throughout, for he had not revealed himself to those who could not help him in the slightest. And yet, Valerie seemed to be enjoying the book much more than Shendu's previous owner had, which was interesting yet again. Shendu leaned over her once again in order to read a single passage.

_'I wanted to see you again, touch you, know who you were, see if I would find you identical with the ideal image of you which had remained with me and perhaps shatter my dream with the aid of reality.'_

Shendu found himself chuckling at how similar his own situation was.

And then, Valerie yawned, stretching as she looked down at her cup of tea, frowning when she saw that half the cup had gone cold. She then looked at the clock, saw that it was approaching two in the morning, and groaned to herself as she gently closed the book and placed it on the nightstand beside her bed, before turning off the lamp and settling down for sleep.

Shendu waited until he heard her deep and calm breathing that signalled she was asleep, before he slithered towards her and allowed himself to melt into her as he was sucked into her sub-consciousness and entered her dreams.

_He was met with a large stone chamber, the ceiling far above, the walls carved with intricate designs and columns; the room was lined with pews and on the far wall was a large round stain glass window with so many colours that as the light shone through, it cast the only occupant into a rainbow. Valerie sat on the front pew, her face upturned into the light as she stared up. _

_Shendu meant to observe her, he wanted to know more about her, wanted to find the answers to his questions, if he was to have his vengeance then he needed to know how best to destroy his prey. He knew that the sooner he dealt with this problem, the sooner he could forget it and get back to his real focus: finding his Talismans and getting his body back… and having his retribution. But somehow, this one woman managed to draw him closer, the curiosity overwhelmed him as he found himself coming closer and closer to her, wanting to have that connection he had had with her before, feel that strength. _

_He moved closer, but Valerie heard his approach and turned her head in time to look back towards him, but he slunk into the shadows, wanting not to be seen just yet._

_"Who's there?" she asked. _

_Shendu remained silent. _

_"I know you're there, please come out," she called. She was in a dream, she thought this was a dream, nothing was real… but Shendu could play along with that._

_"You do not want that," he hissed from the shadows, and saw her falter for a second, though she frowned at the shadows, trying to find her way in. _

_"Why wouldn't I? You're my dream, so you're only as bad as what I imagine you to be," she said. Shendu found the logic rather reasonable, but could not find it appropriate for this situation._

_"It should be obvious of the danger posed to you, girl," he growled, a part of himself excited when he saw the lick of fear cross her features which was quickly batted away by determination. Oh, she would be fun to play with, Shendu thought._

_"The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer. - Edward R. Murrow," she said, though he could detect the nerves in her voice._

_Shendu had to laugh, a cold sound that echoed in the large space around them. Now she was quoting, no doubt from something she had read somewhere, and what's more the statement was rather true. _

_"What if I was a monster of your worst nightmare come to kill you?" Shendu asked her, purposefully adding a rasping hiss to his voice to put her further on edge. _

_"I…I would wake up," she said a slight tremor in her voice betraying how uneasy she felt, but he saw the dancing flames of defiance in her eyes that almost captivated him so. _

_"Do you not fear death?" _

_"Not from a dream. Why? Do you?" she asked. "Do you have a good reason?"_

_Shendu thought about that morbidly. Without the Dog Talisman, it was possible that he could die should his statue form be broken, in which case he would be free of confinement, which was a blessing. But, his spirit would go to no heaven, he was a Demon Sorcerer after all, he would be sent to the Nether World, a realm beyond mortal reach, a dimension where creatures of demonic birth were imprisoned for all eternity; and there were one to seven reasons why he did not want to go there. But did that mean he feared death?_

_This human was surprising him more and more; she challenged him and yet made him think. He could not say that for even some immortals he had known in his long existence. _

_"Not in a dream," he said to her instead. He then began to retreat, knowing that his time was short, but Valerie seemed to sense that he was leaving, and reached out a hand towards him._

_"Where are you going?" she asked. Shendu realised that she still hadn't discovered that he was the same creature to possess her friend a few days ago, if so, he wasn't going to enlighten her, for that meant he could come back and test her some more. _

_"To rule a world that has been without me long enough," he smirked to himself as he chuckled darkly. _

_"You are a prince? Or a King?" she asked._

_"I was once an emperor," he told her proudly._

_"Then I look forward to seeing the new court Your Excellency," she chuckled as she gave a deep and mocking bow before turning away from him, the image of the cathedral melting into that a vast field of wildflowers. _

_Shendu watched her for a moment, his red eyes glowing as he thought of the possibilities ahead of him, his mind already planning to return the next night in order to see her again. It was too good an opportunity to waste, and should she learn anything about Section 13 or the other Talisman's, Shendu would know also._

* * *

"What's going on?" Valerie asked the next day as she came up to Uncle who was standing outside the Shop with Captain Black by his side. "Is Jackie alright?" she asked anxiously, Jackie had left the day after Jade's possession to find the next Talisman on some tropical island out in the middle of the ocean.

"Jackie's fine," Captain Black assured her with a crooked smile. "Climbing a volcano last we heard last night,"

"That not important!" Uncle snapped as he raised a finger in the air, giving Valerie a stern look before pointing at the shop. "Landlord has evicted me to spray for bugs!"

"Oh, so where are you gonna stay?" Valerie asked.

"With Jade and Jackie," Uncle explained.

"At Section 13?" Valerie's eyes went wide.

"Speaking of which," Captain Black said. "It's time to go, Valerie, you coming?"

"I'm what?!" she gasped.

"Yes she is," Uncle interrupted. "Uncle needs his assistant to carry books," he indicated to the large bags of books that he had managed to get out of the store, Valerie saw all the heavy tomes and held back a groan. They piled into the big van as Captain Black drove them to Section 13, picking up Jade from school on the way as she had to come home early because she'd gotten in trouble for fighting. Captain Black asked if Uncle and Valerie could wear blindfolds to ensure the secret location remained hidden. Uncle point blank refused, and wouldn't let anyone come near him to force it on, Valerie on the other hand, did so without complaint. She would much rather be in the dark for a few moments then one day be potentially charged with treason.

When the blindfold was removed not twenty minutes later, Valerie was helped out of the van with Uncle and gasped when she saw that she was in a large underground bunker, with dozens of agents busying themselves at desks or offices or anything else in between. She suddenly felt like she was in the middle of a Men In Black movie.

"I know, it's cool! Isn't it cool?!" Valerie turned to see Jade beaming up at her with a too wide smile, speaking in such a rush that it was almost hard to understand her. "Hey Val, you love me don't you? You don't want to see me die, right?"

"Jade…" Valerie said slowly, raising an eyebrow up at her expectantly.

"Well, just please don't tell Jackie that I got in trouble at school today, he really doesn't like it."

"I'm not going to lie to Jackie," Valerie told her sternly, but at the crestfallen look on Jade's face, Valerie rolled her eyes before adding in a softer tone: "But I won't tell on you either."

"YES!" Jade exclaimed happily as she leapt on Valerie, making the woman yelp as she stumbled under the force. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

* * *

"Valmont," Shendu hissed in that unsettling raspy voice. "Where is the Dragon Talisman?" the demon demanded.

Valmont swallowed, trying to keep his calm façade in place, even when the talking statue drove him crazy with its constant insults, demands and oh-so-superior attitude, when in all truth it was lucky that Valmont hadn't had the thing crushed out of spite. The only reason Valmont put up with the thing was because he was promised a lot of money once this job was over – even if it was costing him a small fortune in doing the job in the first place.

Plus, the dragon statue secretly frightened him.

"My men are on it, Shendu," Valmont replied testily.

"Your men couldn't find their own _shadows_," the statue's eyes glowed with its mounting anger. "And you incompetence continues to stupefy me!"

"Oh?" Valmont muttered, his own anger flaring at the insult, from a statue was only pouring salt on the wound. Was it not Shendu who had failed at retrieving the other Talismans a few days ago? But whenever his men failed, Valmont was the one who got the blame for it, and so the mounting frustration of both himself and Shendu came to a boiling point. "I'll stupefy you!" he cried, raising his cane as if he were going to smash the –

Suddenly, a hand appeared out of nowhere and snatched at the cane, and Valmont suddenly found himself surrounded by Shadowkhan warriors.

"_Temper_ Valmont…" Shendu murmured, and Valmont could practically hear the smile in the snake's voice. It was all Valmont could do not to growl like an animal in his anger as he quickly excused himself from his own office.

Later, he was pacing in one of the lower offices of the building, his anger had not simmered even a fraction as he quietly cursed to himself.

"The arrogance of that oversized lawn ornament!" he snarled, turning to go back the other way across the room, when he noticed his three enforcers walk in. He was just waiting for them to tell him they had failed, he wanted a good outlet for all of his anger right now.

"Valmont!" Finn cheered happily, holding up a hand. "Check it out!" and in his fingers, Valmont was actually stunned to see the shape of the Dragon Talisman.

"You _actually_ did your _job_?!" Valmont asked in amazement as he walked up to take the talisman from his employee. "Imagine!"

"You're not stoked?" Finn asked a little uneasily as he and the others saw the fury in their boss's eyes.

"I'm absolutely _giddy_!" Valmont sneered as he furiously threw the talisman across the room, where it hit the wall and bounced to the floor.

Suddenly, the Talisman lit up and a burst of fire shot from it. Everyoe shrieked in alarm as they all dove for the floor to avoid the flames. Valmont covered his head, heard the crash as the fire smacked into the ceiling. It wasn't until he heard the rubble clear that he opened his eyes and looked up. The fire had blasted a whole through the ceiling as wide as three men, going through solid brick, cement, steel structure and all.

Carefully walking over to the fallen Talisman, Valmont picked it up with a crooked smile, imagining the possibilities if –

Suddenly, he felt a searing pain when the talisman flashed in a blinding light. He cried out as he felt heat in his palm as his flesh moulded around the talisman. But just as quickly as it appeared, the pain was going, and Valmont gazed down with dark glee to see his hand held the talisman perfectly. He turned back to his enforcers, who were watching him uneasily.

"Puff the magic dragon," Valmont chuckled to himself as he showed them his new weapon.

* * *

"And that's when Valmont's men escaped with the Talisman," Valerie heard Jackie say as she and Jade walked down an adjoining corridor at Section 13. Jade instantly tensed, but Valerie tried to give her a reassuring smile, though she couldn't help but think of all the times she'd thought she was in trouble at home for not doing homework or talking back with other kids… Valerie felt her heart drop at the memories.

"You didn't follow them?" they heard Captain Black ask. "They could have lead us to Valmont himself,"

"I was a little pre-occupied!" Jackie retorted.

"You gotta face him sooner or later," Valerie told Jade quietly.

"Yeah, I know, but… do I have to?" she pleaded.

"Yes, now come on," Valerie quickly led them out into the main part of the base as they spotted Jackie near the entrance tunnel with Captain Black, and Jackie looked a little worse for wear what with his clothes singed and burned in places.

"Captain Black, the Dark Hand now has the Dragon Talisman," Jackie was warning Captain Black as Valerie and Jade approached. "If they discover the magic it possess…" Jackie trailed off when Black gave him a stern look. "Err, I said the "M" word, didn't I?"

"Now would be a –" Valerie went to say to Jade, but realised that the girl was gone.

"JACKIE!" Valerie turned to see Jade suddenly throw herself at her uncle, beaming brightly – a little too brightly.

"I missed you sooooooooo much! You look like you had a rough day, can I get you a cup of tea, maybe some cookies?" she said it all in a big rush, once again pointing to her obvious guilt. She jumped down from Jackie, and looked down for a moment. "New shoes?" Valerie looked down at Jackie's feet, and was very surprised to see that the soles of his shoes were melted off!

"Jade, what did you do?" Jackie asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Jade is in trouble at school!" everyone turned in time to see Uncle come into the conversation; Valerie shook her head at him.

"Thank you, master of subtlety," she remarked. "Jade was going to tell him… eventually."

"Not my fault if she wasn't quick enough!" Uncle snarled back, before turning to Jade and murmuring to her: "Cup of tea sounds good, thank you. One MORE thing!" he added loudly as he turned to Captain Black. "Your place is too big! I had to walk very far to find a bathroom!"

"Uncle, what are you doing here?" Jackie asked.

"Landlord made me leave the shop for three days," Uncle said, turning to Jackie. "Said it must be sprayed for bugs. THIS is how I spray for bugs… YA!" he shouted as he stamped his foot on the ground.

"Yes sir-ee, it's a real family affair here at Section 13," Captain Black muttered to himself in an exasperated tone.

"Just ignore him, I do," Valerie whispered with a half-smile. Black snorted in amusement.

"Jade," Jackie focused his attention back on his niece as he kneeled down to her level. "What kind of trouble at school?"

"Miss Hardman just wants you to come to a parent-teacher conference," Jade shrugged, trying to pass off her situation. "No big-ee."

"Oh! Does that mean we get to go home?" Valerie asked excitedly. "N-not that I don't like it here," she added quickly when Black turned to look at her. "But, err, super-secret underground Government bases which I could possibly get charged treason for if I ever breathed a word about… they make me nervous," she finished in a rush. Captain Black chuckled, a warm and hearty sound.

"Sir," someone said, and they all turned in time to see an agent address Captain Black. "The US mints' under siege!"

"Patch me into their surveillance," Black ordered as he marched away, completely calm and serious all of a sudden. Jackie followed him.

"So this place doesn't exist just to catch the Talisman's?" Valerie asked Jade.

"No, its main goal is to stop bad-guys, mainly the Dark Hand," the girl explained.

"What about tea?!" Uncle exclaimed to Jackie's retreating back.

"Come on," Valerie sighed as she pushed Uncle in the direction of the staff kitchen. "I'll make you the tea."

"Good," Uncle snapped. "Because it is your job to assist Uncle, and you're not doing very well outside of the shop!"

Valerie tried to take a deep breath and not grit her teeth at the comment.

* * *

"Mmmm," Valmont sighed in bliss as he smelt the wad of cash in his hand. "Hot off the press," he couldn't deny the fact that this was so much more gratifying then the work he had previously been doing. He and his men had taken the opportunity to _test_ the Dragon Talisman, mainly by blasting apart the US Mint in order to take the riches within.

"What?" he heard Ratso say to Chow somewhere behind him as the grey-skinned brute stuffed coins and change into his pockets. "It's laundry money,"

Valmont turned his heard to look at Finn when they heard a small alarm on the device he held. Finn looked up at his boss with a grim yet amused expression.

"We got company," he murmured.

"Take the cash and make a head start," Valmont ordered his group of lackeys as they all hurriedly grabbed whatever money they could and began to make their way towards their trucks. "I'll handle this,"

Valmont waited just behind the truck, allowing all of his anger flow through him, all the insults from Shendu, the frustration at failed jobs and now this plot interrupted by meddling Section 13. He had had enough, and the Talisman fed off of his emotions, causing him to glow as the power of fire flowed through his body. And who should happen to come around the corner, but Captain Black, scouting ahead of his men, gun at the ready. Valmont grinned when the bald man noticed him and held his gun up to aim at Valmont's head.

"Valmont," Black muttered as if the word were a bitter taste on his tongue.

Valmont felt a vein in his head throb as his anger surged once again. He saw Black's eyes widen as Valmont summoned the power of the Talisman, his energy draining from him painfully as he fed it, roaring as he shot his hand out towards Black, the talisman lighting up and shooting out an explosion straight for the agent's chest, even as Black pulled the trigger on his gun.

An explosion of light surrounded them, brick and debris fell from the ceiling and smoke filled the air, and at the end of it, Valmont was still standing, smoke rising from the palm of his hand as the sting of the heat slowly faded. The British gentlemen smirked as he looked down at his feet at the crumpled body half buried in the rubble and unmoving.

"The Dark Hand waves 'bye-bye' Captain Black," he chuckled.

* * *

"So you guys are not going with Captain Black?" Valerie asked an hour later, taking off her blindfold as they were driving away from Section 13.

"I know!" Jade moaned. "Jackie totally needs to go and whop Dark Hand butt!"

"No I don't," Jackie retorted from the driver's seat. "Valmont and his thugs are robbing a bank and Captain Black and his men have gone to deal with them; I am an archaeologist, not a secret agent. And neither are you, Jade," he added pointedly.

"Will they be alright?" Valerie asked.

"I'm sure they'll be fine…" Jackie said, though the way he trailed off made it very clear of the uneasiness in his voice. They then pulled up outside of Jade's school, and climbed out of the car. "Sorry Valerie," Jackie said to her with an apologetic look. "I promise I'll take you home as soon as I'm done here,"

"No problem," Valerie murmured. "I'll wait here… good luck Jade!" she winked at the kid, who only groaned before they disappeared into the school.

Valerie only had to wait forty minutes, in which time she read more of _Hunchback_, before the Chan family emerged once again.

"A whole week's detention?!" Jade screamed as she slammed the door open.

"Didn't go to well, huh?" Valerie winced.

"No!" Jade scowled. "Miss Hardman didn't even care for the fact that Munson is a bully and then Uncle just had to rub it in by saying everything wrong, and THEN Miss Hardman doesn't think I'm disciplined. So now I have A WEEK OF DETENTION! What a rip!" she crossed her arms with a huff as she glared daggers at the floor.

"Jade," Jackie sighed. "Maybe now you will remember that the greatest victory is the battle not fought,"

"Unless it is fought against bugs," Uncle growled as he stamped on a passing ant.

"Err, yes," Jackie shook his head before hurriedly turning back to his niece. "And in your case, that means watching your temper," he scolded.

"But Munson called me shrimp!" she whined.

"The best way to deal with a bully is not to give them the satisfaction," Valerie said, a dark frown on her face as she remembered the times she was picked on in school, how people still avoided her as the 'weird one' now. Every time, just because she liked books.

"You were bullied, Val?" Jade's eyebrows rose.

"Bookworms are easy targets," the woman muttered.

"Valerie has a point," Jackie said. "You need to keep calm and not rise to the bait of others," Jackie opened his mouth as if he were about to say more, when all of a sudden his phone rang. "Jackie," he said as he answered, but suddenly gasped, eyes going wide as his face went as pale as a sheet. "No!"

"What?" Valerie asked, her body tensing. "What is it?"

"Okay," Jackie said, not answering her as he hurriedly spoke into the phone. "I'll be there as soon as possible!" he hung up and jogged back to the car. "Captain Black has been hurt, he's in the hospital!"

"_What_?!" both Jade and Valerie said simultaneously.

"I don't know the details but he hasn't woken up, I'm going to the hospital now,"

"We're coming too!" Valerie said as she pulled herself into the front passenger seat.

Jackie was too worried to argue.

* * *

They walked through the hospital corridors, the burning scent of bleach and disinfectant making Valerie's nose itch as she hugged her arms, trying to take up as little space as possible as she followed Jackie and Agent Simmons towards Black's room. Valerie felt her skin crawl as she looked around at the hospital, the too white walls and floors, the doctors with morbid expressions, the constant beeps of machines measuring the lives of others… it made her shiver in revulsion. So she tried concentrating on the conversation in front of her. Simmons was explaining how they had cornered Valmont but he had used some weapon to cause a small explosion and the other agents had had to dig out their Captain… who had not been in very good shape.

"The doctor says he's lucky to be alive…" Simmons said gravely as they entered Black's private room. Valerie felt her stomach turn as she saw the great and strong man she had come to know lying broken and beaten on the hospital bed, bandages on his head, tubes sticking into his arms, an oxygen mask on his face, his eyes bruised and swollen, slight angry red burns on his chest. It made Valerie feel sick, it was all too familiar to bear. "Valmont used some advanced explosive device," Simmons was saying. "Powerful stuff,"

"The Dragon Talisman," Jackie gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing furiously, and Valerie was a little unsettled by this sudden anger.

Jackie and Simmons spoke more, but Valerie was no longer paying attention. She walked up to Black's bedside and sat in the chair beside him, awkwardly trying to move his arms into a more comfortable position than the one he had been put into. She wanted to help, she felt absolutely powerless just sitting there watching him, she wanted so badly to help, but didn't know if it was the right thing to do seeing as she barely knew the Captain. The conversation was interrupted however, when a nurse rolled in a trolley with a very large and extravagant vase filled with flowers. Everyone looked to the nurse in confusion.

"Who sent these?" Simmons asked to no one in particular as he walked to the flowers and started looking for a card. He soon found one, the agent's face contorting with his own anger as he glared at it. "Valmont."

Valerie could actually see the volcanic fury mounting in Jackie as his eyes narrowed and he bared his teeth before roaring in fury and swinging his fist at the vase.

"Jackie!" Valerie shouted.

Jackie stopped, halting his fist a centimetre before it could touch the vase, his fist shaking with the energy still boiling within him, Jackie himself looking shocked at what he had done.

"Simmer down Jackie," Simmons said soothingly.

"I'm sorry," Jackie whispered to the room as he tried to breathe deeply. "I just… saw red."

There was a faint cracking sound, before the vase on the table fell apart.

"Hey," Valerie murmured as she walked up to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know this is hard," she said, feeling very awkward at that moment, but felt as if she had to push ahead, knowing that Jackie needed someone to help him. "But you need to keep it together, for Black." She then took a deep breath, familiar words coming back to haunt her and making a part of her choke with her own grief. "You go ahead and catch that rat," she told him with a fierce look. "I'll stay here with Black, I'll call you if there are any changes, okay?"

"Okay," Jackie whispered, and then suddenly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as he hugged her tightly. Valerie froze, completely taken aback and not sure how to proceed, before awkwardly returning the gesture, patting his back in what she hoped was not a patronising way. "Thank you," he murmured, and she could hear the weakness, how he needed someone's help. This was his friend, someone he cared about, and he had no idea on how to handle the situation.

"No problem," she whispered back.

* * *

Valmont stood by the truck whilst his men unloaded the vans filled with cash into the current establishment, an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere, one of several that Valmont owned for instances such as this. He was studying his hand, the Dragon Talisman still embedded in his flesh as he rubbed the rough stone texture with a delicate finger.

"Valmont, you're da BOMB!" Finn cheered happily as he passed by with the other enforcers, their arms heaped with boxes of cash that they all couldn't wait to spend. "Pun totally intended," he grinned.

"Hey," Ratso said gruffly. "Ain't old dragon-breath gonna start wondering where his rock is?" he pointed out.

"Pity," Valmont murmured. "It's doing wonders for our cash flow," And it was; but no matter how much Valmont wanted to keep the pebble, he knew he had to return it to Shendu, for he had a contract and if he ever wanted to see the Lost Treasure he had been promised, the dragon statue needed every single Talisman. Which unfortunately meant giving him this one, at least it would shut the stone lizard up for a little while at least.

"One more heist, Big V?" Finn asked excitedly. Valmont thought about it for a moment: give Shendu the talisman now and save the hassle of his snarky comments, or milk the situation for all it was worth and be a little richer for the trouble as well.

"One for the history books," Valmont agreed.

* * *

Valerie sat in the hospital chair, reading aloud to Captain Black as she read through her current chapter of Hunchback, completely unaware of the spirit that was watching her. Shendu hovered around her head, interested as to why she would be here and not at home. It was late evening, the sun had just set, but Valerie was in a hospital sitting beside a man that Shendu recognised as Captain Black. The way she held herself suggested that she was not comfortable, perhaps even on the verge of breaking down due to the atmosphere, a fact Shendu would remember for later. It was all very strange, Shendu wondered at what had happened to the human man, and why should the woman be here watching over him? Were they close? Shendu felt a spark of anger at the thought, but he pushed such thoughts aside. He was here to study his prey, nothing more.

"_The Egyptian lifted her eyes to his face to thank him,_" read Valerie. "_But could not utter a word. The poor fellow was absolutely hideous. She drooped her head with a thrill of horror. Then he said to her: 'I frighten you. I am very ugly, am I not? Do not look at me, only listen to me. In the daytime, you will stay here; at night you can walk about all over the church. But stir not a step out of it, either by night or by day. You would be lost. They would kill you, and I should die.' Moved by his words, she raised her head to reply, but he was gone. Alone once more, she pondered on the singular words of this almost monstrous being, and struck by the tone of his voice, so hoarse and yet so gentle._"

Valerie then stopped, sighing as she put the book away, rubbing her tired eyes as she looked at the sleeping human man helplessly. Shendu snaked his way around her shoulders, as is he could touch her, prevent her from reaching out to grasp the Captain's limp fingers.

"You need to wake up," she whispered. "Jackie needs you; he doesn't know what to do without you. He needs his friend back,"

Shendu watched with growing irritation as Valerie sighed and hung her head in her hands. Why was she so concerned? And why did it bother him that she was? He should not care what she did, he only wanted her for his vengeance, despite the addictive power that she gave him when they touched. So why did it matter? There was suddenly the sound of a small beeping, and Valerie reached into her pocket to retrieve her phone.

"Hey," she said as she answered. "Wait, what? Jade, slow down…" there was a pause as the woman listened to the chatter on the other end of the phone. "Jackie did _what_? Gone? Fort Knox Kentucky… right, come pick me up I'm going with you!"

And just like that, she picked up her things in a hurry, and left. Shendu was left hovering in fury, for he could not follow if she was going with the Chan family, for they had protective spells that prevented Shendu or "evil spirits" from approaching. He snarled to himself as he passed through the walls and slithered through the air back towards the skyscraper and back to his stone prison.

He wondered if Valmont knew anything about this…

* * *

Hours later, and Valerie couldn't believe that she was breaking into the US Gold Reserve. And what's more, the Dark Hand were there too!

"This isn't safe!" Valerie whispered as she followed Jade and Uncle who were in turn following the path of the tunnel they had found. They had followed Section 13 to Fort Knox, but had been lucky when they'd found the tunnel the Dark Hand had made in order to break into the base. "This is the very _opposite_ of safe!"

"Come on, Val," Jade whispered back. "We gotta make sure Jackie's okay!"

Valerie's mind was still whirling trying to believe that Jackie – calm, collected, funny, sweet Jackie – was going after the Dark Hand! Section 13 had received word that Valmont had blown up a warehouse district which just so happen to be spitting distance from the US gold reserve. It didn't take a genius to realise their true target, and so Section 13 had mobilised with Jackie in tow. Jade had tried to convince Jackie not to go, and despite Jackie reassuring her, Jade knew that he was out for vengeance. That's when she had phoned Valerie in a panic, and Valerie – despite her better judgement and the voice screaming in her head telling her not to – immediately jumped into action to help save her friend… and was starting to regret it as she shook with fear.

"Jackie's anger makes him too unpredictable," Uncle mused. "Too likely to make mistakes."

"So what, we're going to break into a gold reserve?!" Valerie hissed.

The other two ignored her as they continued through the tunnel, obviously made recently where someone had blasted the rock apart in order to create this passage big enough for trucks to come through. Valerie tried to keep her breathing steady as she thought that the Dark Hand could come back down the tunnel _towards_ them at any moment!

"I'm a researching book-worm, I don't work well in the field!" she whimpered as she held back her squeal when she saw a large cockroach scuttle past.

"Then why'd you bring a baseball bat?" Jade raised an eyebrow at her.

"We're going up against bad-guys," Valerie said in a low voice. "I don't know how to work a gun, I don't know martial arts, I'm using what I know!" she hugged the bat tighter to her chest, wringing her hands against the polished wood nervously.

"Hold up!" Jade whispered as she held up a hand for them to stop. "This is where the tunnel stops, all the Dark Hand are up ahead; we gotta sneak in,"

"Brilliant." Valerie muttered.

* * *

Everyone was working hurriedly to load the forklifts with as much gold blocks as they could before loading them on the truck just outside the tunnel. Valmont oversaw everything, knowing that sooner or later authorities would be in bound to stop them, and he would rather his men be gone with the gold bricks rather than one of them mess up and be caught. And besides, he was already pushing his luck with avoiding Shendu, it wouldn't be long before the demon realised that something wasn't right with Valmont's absence.

"Faster Tohru," he ordered the gigantic behemoth of a Japanese man that struck fear into the hearts of all men, other than Valmont who ordered him about like the faithful dog he was. "And lift with your legs," he instructed as Tohru gripped a pallet loaded with gold bricks, his huge muscles struggling to lift the weight all on his own – something rather rare in Tohru's case.

He continued to watch his men as they worked, and then looked down at his palm where the Dragon Talisman was nestled. Who knew such a little thing could make all this possible?

"A shame Captain Black won't be visiting today," Valmont called out to his men with a self-satisfied smirk. "I understand he had a doctor's appointment," everyone laughed darkly at the little joke, Captain Black and Section 13 had been a thorn in their side for many years, it felt good to everyone to have a little pay-back.

Suddenly, they heard a loud "CLANG" of metal, and everyone turned around and looked up, to see none other than Jackie Chan on the bridge above them, his hand on the railing where he had punched it. He only gave a slight squeak as his arm shook, before yelping and bringing back his hand and holding it pitifully.

"Chan…" Valmont murmured. So this was the man who always caused him so much trouble nowadays. With a thrust of his hand, Valmont sent a blazing arc of fire into the bridge, breaking it apart, and Chan screamed as he fell down to the ground and landed in a heap in the rubble. Tohru and Ratso quickly moved to seize him before he could gain control of his senses, holding him by his arms so that he was suspended off of the ground. "Jackie Chan…" Valmont grinned as he stepped closer to the groaning man. "Finally we meet… it was nice knowing you."

He held up his hand, the talisman glowing menacingly.

* * *

"Captain Black was lucky," Valerie heard a well-educated, articulated British accent and she peered over Jade's shoulder to see out of the lip of the tunnel, she saw the back of a tall man with platinum blonde hair in a money-green suit. "But my aim has improved with practise,"

_So that is the infamous Valmont,_ Valerie thought as she glared at his back, instantly taking a dislike to the man.

"We gotta get in there!" Jade whispered.

"How?" Valerie asked.

Jade only smiled as she held up a target dummy that Valerie hadn't even seen in the dark tunnel.

"Where did you –"

"Ask questions later!" Uncle hissed, pushing them up and out of the tunnel.

The all stood squashed behind the dummy, Jade at the legs, Valerie holding up the shoulders, and Uncle standing closely behind them in their shadow. They edged their way across the room towards the pallets lined with bricks of gold. Valerie might have taken a moment to be astounded at the sight of so much gold, but she was too busy trying not to be noticed by the Dark Hand and save her friend who was currently being held in place whilst Valmont pointed his glowing hand at Jackie's chest, and Valerie didn't need to guess that the Dragon Talisman was what he held. They edged closer and closer to the pallets, knowing that they would provide better cover then the dummy that stuck out like a sore thumb in the bunker.

They managed to reach it, and Valerie and Jade snuck a peek out to look around… just as a guard was turning to look at them –

Uncle appeared behind him out of nowhere, his fingers pinching the man's shoulder and instantly knocking him unconscious as he dragged him behind a pallet. Valerie blinked, her eyes wide in surprise as she and Jade dove for cover behind the pallet.

"How did he move so fast?" Valerie whispered, completely amazed as she stared at Uncle.

"You want the other Talismans!" they suddenly heard Jackie say, and all three of them poked their heads out just enough to see him as he spoke to Valmont. "Don't you Valmont?"

"Continue…" Valmont ordered in a sneering voice.

"I will make you a deal," Jackie said, his eyes flickering for only the briefest second to their hiding place. Was he stalling? "Show you where Section 13 is,"

But then, Valerie saw that the grey-skinned man Ratso, who currently held one of Jackie's arms, was turning his head to look over their way, and Valerie quickly ducked back behind the wall of gold, pulling Jade and Uncle along with her.

"Was that always there?" they heard him say, and Valerie looked over in stupefied horror to see that they had left the dummy out for all to see!

Suddenly, they heard a giant "crack" and Valerie poked her head out to see Jackie pull his two captors together, smashing their heads against one another as they stumbled to the floor, dazed. But suddenly, Valerie saw that someone had turned and spotted her, running towards her –

"HIYA!" Jade screeched as she picked up the dummy and smacked it into the thug's head. However, she was unprepared for the second man who came and tried to wrestle the dummy out of her hands. Nor did she see Valmont raise his hand to blast her with the Talisman.

"JADE!" Both Valerie and Jackie shouted at the same time, Jackie leaping at Valmont to try and wrestle the Talisman from him, Valerie running from her cover, baseball bat in hand as she came to the aid of the little girl. She quickly grabbed her by the shoulder and hauled her away, even as she pushed the man and dummy with her other hand to knock him off balance. The pair then ran off towards cover.

"Why you little shrimp!" the man called.

Suddenly Jade stopped in her tracks, a furious expression on her face. She turned around, screeching as she leapt into the air and aimed a flying kick straight for the man's face, knocking him out cold as her heel connected with his nose, sending him to the ground. As she landed however, she came face to face with Uncle's disapproving scowl and Valerie's wide eyed astonishment.

"I'm working on it," she muttered.

By then, everyone in the base realised they were there, and Valerie held up her bat protectively as she looked from face to face, her heart beating at a million miles an hour with her fear.

"What do we do?" she whispered in a shaky voice.

"Show these guys the ancient art of butt-whop!" Jade smirked. But Valerie didn't say anything, she swallowed heavily to try and calm her shaking knees.

She watched as Valmont and Jackie wrestled, Valmont managing to kick Jackie far enough back for him to roar as veins throbbed on his head as he unleashed a blast of fire that broke a whole in the wall where Jackie had been standing not two seconds before. Valmont fired blast after blast as Jackie leapt, ran and summersaulted to be out of the line of fire, Finn getting caught up with him as he too ran from the explosions, not watching where he was going as he ran straight into Uncle's fist. Another thug calm running for Uncle, who held up a gold brick as the man made a swing for him, his fist connecting with the brick and causing him to run off, crying as he held his now broken hand.

"Respect your elders," Uncle snapped at the man, but was unaware of the thug coming up behind him.

"Uncle, look out!" Valerie cried, and before she knew it, she was swinging her bat, hearing a loud crack as the wood connected with the man's back, causing him to fall to the floor gasping and moaning. "Sorry…" Valerie whimpered.

"One more thing…" Uncle said to the man on the floor, before promptly flicking the side of his head, and knocking the man unconscious. Valerie looked from the frail old man in front of her to the beefy man on the floor; how on earth had he done that?!

But she didn't have time to contemplate anything else, as she heard the "boom" of an explosion and yelped with fright, turning in time to see Jackie leap out of the way as Valmont tried to blast him with the power of the Dragon Talisman. Of all the Talisman's she'd seen so far, this was by far the most powerful, and seeing its work in action, Valerie actually began to understand why these things had to be contained. It was horrific and left her feeling sick to watch Jackie dodging death by mere inches at a time.

"Why are you here Chan?" Valmont demanded. "Was it because of poor old Captain Black? Tell me, how is he doing?" he sneered.

Jackie's face contorted with rage as he roared, leaping through the air with a sidelong kick. Valmont blocked him, but Jackie kept coming with hit after hit, yet incredibly Valmont matched him move for move, able to hold his own. Valerie had thought that Jackie was the best martial arts fighter she had ever seen, even in the movies, but Valmont was staying his equal, and if he kept on at winding Jackie up, eventually Jackie's rage would make him mess up. Valerie could see it, Jackie's moves were becoming sloppy and uncoordinated in his attempts to just land a damaging blow instead of focusing on hitting one. Suddenly, Valmont seized Jackie by his sweater and threw him across the room, making the poor man cry out as he took the brunt of the force on his shoulder as he rolled, moaning in a heap where he lay. Valmont raised his hand, talisman glowing –

"No!" Valerie screamed as she suddenly leapt in front of Jackie, hand out and eyes pleading with the man before her. "Please don't!"

"Ah, you must be Miss Valerie Payne," Valmont murmured as he looked at her, and Valerie had to swallow the bile in her throat as her fear almost consumed her, hands and knees shaking as she tried to keep herself focused and her heartbeat even. It scared the living hell out of her to know that this maniac knew her name.

"Valerie," Jackie murmured. "What are you doing?"

"You should have taken a different job Miss Payne," Valmont sneered as he raised his hand towards her. "This one is very hazardous to your health,"

A blast was released from the Talisman, as it sailed through the air towards her, a huge orange and red plume of fire. Valerie tried to back pedal out of its reach, bringing her bat up in front of her in her panic as a form of shield. There was a deafening "BANG" as the flames hit the bat, causing it to explode and shatter; the force of it was enough to knock Valerie off of her feet and send her flying through the air. She felt a wave of scorching heat roll up her chest, and something smash into the side of her face, igniting a white hot pain across her cheek and jaw as she felt her skin open up and her flesh boil.

Valerie screamed.

* * *

"Valmont, where are you?" Shendu called out, his voice echoing through the office in its huge booming tone. But the man did not appear before him, in fact he had been gone all day, when before he hardly ever left the office. "Val – _ARGH_!"

Shendu suddenly screeched in pain as he felt a flash of agony wash over his face and down one side of his neck. It was a hot burning pain so intense that he thought his stone skin might be melting off. But after a moment, the pain faded, and Shendu was left gasping and confused. Where had that come from? He had never felt pain before, not in this form at least, and he had not been harmed, he was on his own hanging on the wall, what on earth could have hurt him? Unless…

The girl, Valerie. Shendu knew this with an instinctive certainty, he didn't know how they were connected suddenly, but he had felt her pain as if it were his own, for however briefly. But how?! He felt oddly alarmed to think that she might be in pain somewhere and he had no idea what was happening, a form of rage overcoming him that someone would dare touch her.

"VALMONT!" he roared, but still he received no answer. Suspicion reared its ugly head inside of the dragon, and his eyes flashed blood-red in the dim light of the office. What were the chances that Valmont should be missing at the same time as Valerie being in pain, and there was also the fact that Shendu still did not know where his Dragon Talisman was. "Something is amiss," he muttered to himself.

With the power of his will, he summoned a troupe of the Shadowkhan, the dark warriors materialising from the long shadows in the office and moving at lightning speed with which to stand before their master.

"Find Valmont," he ordered them in a hiss. "Find my talisman." The ninja's nodded, before melting back into the shadows and disappearing off into the city.

If what Shendu suspected was right, it meant that Valmont had lied to him and kept his property from him, neither of which would be good for Valmont's health when Shendu had him in his sights…

* * *

"Valerie!" Jackie yelled as he came over to her limp body, holding it in his arms as he frantically tried to sweep her hair out of her face so that he could see her. He leant his ear to her mouth, and almost collapsed with relief to hear her breathing. She was unconscious, he could see the wreckage of the explosion where her baseball bat had shattered, a large chunk of it had hit her in the face, which was angry red from a minor burn where the wood had been on fire, but the flesh around her eye and across her cheek was already turning purple and black with bruises. Her top was blackened and burned from the fire, though she miraculously managed to not get any wounds or burns that would last. But what Jackie really worried about was whether she had concussion or not.

"And so ends Jackie Chan," came Valmont's voice above him, and Jackie looked up in fear as he held Valerie's body closer to himself protectively, as Valmont lowered his hand, Talisman lighting up –

"Hey, big bully!" cried Jade, and both Valmont and Jackie turned in time to see the child racing towards them on a forklift, a furious expression on her face. "Eat heavy machinery!"

Valmont only just managed to jump out of the way in time as Jade came shooting towards him, and he landed on his truck where his men were already climbing and starting the engine. Jade screeched to a stop, beside Jackie just as the truck, with Valmont on top of it, disappeared into the tunnel. Jade jumped out of the forklift and came running at Jackie, her eyes wide with horror as she looked at Valerie.

"Oh my gosh!" she gasped, eyes tearing up as she stared. "Is she gonna be okay?"

"I think so," Jackie murmured as he lifted the unconscious woman up into his arms and walked towards the fork lift. A stab of guilt swept through him as he looked upon all the hurt he had caused; his temper had done this, if he hadn't acted out, if he hadn't of even come here then his family and his friend would still be safe. He seated Valerie in the forklift, strapping her in so that she wouldn't fall out. "We need to get her some help," he said.

"First, you need to retrieve the Dragon Talisman," Uncle said as he came to join them. "Or more people will end up like Valerie and Captain Black, or worse…"

"Uncle, what are you doing here?!" Jackie asked as he spun around to face his uncle.

"Making sure you don't lose your temper and do something foolish,"

"Good job, Uncle," Jade muttered sarcastically.

"Come on," Jackie said as he climbed into the forklift with Jade and Uncle on either side of him, Jade constantly worrying and fretting over Valerie's limp form. Jackie drove the forklift into the tunnel as they followed Valmont's truck, they saw that it passed through a new hole, the tunnel suddenly turning as they saw a light ahead where Valmont was blasting apart the stone ahead of them. Finally, they reached the outside, and found themselves at the bottom of a cliff in front of a pier, where Valmont's truck was driving towards a boat waiting at the end. Jackie stopped the truck at the end of the tunnel, and quickly leapt out to run after the truck. "Wait here," he said to Jade and Uncle.

"But Valmont's still dragon powered!" Jade stressed. "How are you gonna take him down?!"

"By not fighting…" Uncle murmured in an omniscient tone.

Jackie ran ahead, across the pier to the barge, leaping onto it just before it could be out of reach. He leapt over Ratso, shoving him into the water at the same time, leaving only he and Valmont on the barge. Valmont scowled down at Jackie, and Jackie had to employ all of his will not to allow his anger and hatred of what the man had done to his friends overwhelm him.

"You really go for the gold, Mr Chan," Valmont said bitterly. "_Fools_ gold,"

"You know, Valmont," Jackie called up to him, swallowing back his nerves as he hoped this plan would work. "I was wondering… what is one of these worth?" he asked as he held up a brick of solid gold and pointed to it. "An all-expenses paid trip to Melvin World?" he then tossed the gold overboard where it splashed loudly into the river.

"You'll pay for that," Valmont growled angrily as he glared at the man before him.

"What about these?" Jackie then held up two gold bricks in his hands, raising his brow at Valmont defiantly. "A new Ferrari?" they both went overboard as well.

"Chan!" Valmont snarled.

"A summer home?" Jackie grinned as he threw four more gold bricks into the water. "Your own private island to build it on?" he grabbed handfuls and began throwing them all over the side of the barge. "A robot butler for that home?" dozens and dozens were lost as Jackie put all of his concentration into throwing as much as he could over the side.

"ARGH!" Valmont roared with fury as he unleashed the power of the talisman, his hand erupting with fire as it shot towards Jackie, who quickly leapt out of the way and dived into the water. However, the explosion managed to blast a whole straight through the bottom of the barge, allowing water to bubble up and begin to sink it.

Jackie quickly surfaced by the pier in time to see the barge sink completely with Valmont still on it, and all of his gold lost to the depths.

* * *

Valmont surfaced near the rocks as he clung to them as his suit weighed him down heavily in the water. Ratso was standing on the rocks, looking paler than usual.

"A little help?" Valmont demanded as he held out a hand.

"Ur, boss?" Ratso murmured shakily. "Visitors…" And then from the shadows of the cliffs appeared almost two dozen Shadowkhan as they all leapt down onto the rocks, one kneeling right in front of Valmont. The ninja seized his wrist with one hand as he pulled at the talisman with the other, ripping it from his flesh as it did so. Valmont sagged with exhaustion as he felt the energy leave him. And then as quickly as they came, the Shadowkhan left as they leapt from rock to rock to go to their master.

Valmont could only muster the energy to be as pale as Ratso as he thought of what was now waiting for him back at his office.

"That was bad, right?" Ratso asked nervously.

* * *

Valerie couldn't believe it. Her first real adventure and she had not only been a wimp, but she had also been knocked unconscious and now had a huge bruise that no make-up on earth could hide. She had awoken in the hospital the morning before, after all the excitement had been and gone, her slight burns had been treated – she was still thanking god that she wasn't going to scar – and the doctors had only wanted to keep her in the hospital in order to check that she didn't have a concussion. But now, Valerie was actually pleased to be free to leave, she hated hospitals, and despite the fact that Section 13 authorities had made the excuses to the University, Valerie wanted to get back to her studies.

"How are you feeling?" she heard Jackie's voice and looked up with a smile to see him leaning against the door with a sheepish smile.

"Better, thanks. It's not every day I get hit in the face with an explosion, so I think I'm doing well," she chuckled.

"I'm sorry Valerie, if I had kept more control of my temper, this wouldn't have happened," Jackie's face flashed with grief, and Valerie put a comforting hand on his shoulder, almost surprised at how normal such a gesture felt.

"Don't worry, we all lose our tempers sometimes, but a wise man I know once said: 'the greatest victory is the battle not fought'," she winked at him. "Now come on, I take it you're here to see Captain Black as well?"

They made their way to Captain Black's room, but were almost alarmed to hear the shrill constant sound of the heart monitor. Both Valerie and Jackie rushed forward in a panic, bursting through the door… only to see Captain Black sitting up in bed and pulling the wires out of his arms.

"Take it easy boss," Jackie grinned as he held the man's shoulders to try and prevent him from getting out of the bed. "The doctor says you can leave in a few days if you rest,"

Black only grunted in agreement.

"You feeling any better?" Valerie asked.

"Yeah," the Captain murmured. "My neck aches though, probably from when I…" he trailed off as his gaze landed on Valerie and his eyes widened. "Good god Valerie, what happened to your face?!"

"Pretty, aren't I?" she teased as her fingers fumbled with her hair, embarrassed as her cheeks turned crimson. "Was at the wrong end of an explosion – Valmont packs a mean punch,"

"That son of a –" Black snarled but was interrupted when agent Simmons walked through the door and approached the Captain's bed.

"Sir, good to see you up and at 'em," the agent said fondly yet formerly. "Salvage operation recovered the booty from the river bottom."

"Valmont?" Captain Black asked with a hint of anger, though not directed at his agent.

Simmons shook his head.

"Which means the Dark Hand still possess the magic talisman," Jackie said gravely. Valerie felt it too, that was one powerful rock, if the Dark Hand still possessed it… she dreaded to think what they would do with it.

"Jackie," Black murmured in exasperation. "The 'M' word?"

"But you saw it!" Jackie gaped, and Valerie had to agree: surely Captain Black would have seen the Talisman's work with his own eyes? "The dragon power injured you – it hurt Valerie!"

"I had Valmont in my sights," Black explained. "The rest is a blur,"

Jackie sighed in defeat, and Valerie couldn't help but chuckle.

* * *

Shendu would have been shaking with rage if he could move. Valmont had had his Talisman and had not thought to hand it over?! What's more, Valmont had wasted time and resources for his petty thievery when he could have been searching for the next Talisman and he had been the one to harm Valerie.

"Shendu," the man pleaded pathetically. "Please, I –"

"_WRARGH!" _Shendu snarled as he used the power of the dragon talisman and a jet of fire spewed forth from his frozen snarling mouth. Valmont screeched as he ducked out of the way, the fire barely missing him by inches. "You dare to take what belongs to me, and then you try to destroy what is mine!" Shendu snarled viciously.

He paused for a second as he registered what he had just said. He had meant the talisman with the first statement but why had Valerie come into this? And why had he referred to her as 'his'? Well… wasn't she? She held his attention for the time being, he was interested in the power she could give him and the way he had felt her when she was in pain. He wanted to know exactly why they were connected, and what impact it might have on him and his rise to power, and finally how to deal with it. And besides, no one would touch her, she was his to torment if he so chose, and therefore that meant that Valmont had greatly overstepped the line.

"You are lucky that I need you, you fool," the dragon hissed at him. "But do not overstep your bounds again, for you will not like the consequences,"

"Shendu, I beg your forgiveness," Valmont whimpered in front of him.

"And you may _earn_ it Valmont." The demon's eyes glowed as he beheld the man, a smirk entering his voice as he looked into the Valmont's eyes, speaking in a condescending tone and watching the anger dance in the human's depths, the demon mentally daring him to try something. "Rumour tells of a Talisman at the North Pole… dress _warmly_,"


	4. Enemy Territory

Enemy Territory

* * *

It had only been a week since Captain Black had been released from Hospital, and yet Valerie found herself in the uncomfortable position of being _back_ in the hospital room once again. Though this time, they were all there for Jackie.

He had recently gone to find the Rat Talisman and had returned only that morning; Valerie had been cleaning the kitchen in the shop for when Jade and Jackie would come over for dinner, when Uncle had received a phone call for them to come to the hospital. Apparently, Jackie was able to run off a falling train, fight talisman powered fire-men, leap the tracks of a rollercoaster… and broke his leg in his own room at Section 13. Valerie looked at Jackie with pity as he lay in the hospital bed with his leg suspended in the air from the stirrups, the large white cast making his lower leg seem bulkier and like a child's toy.

"Run down the side of an exploding building, no problem!" Uncle grinned at Jackie who took it all with a grumpy scowl. "But step on a child's toy – break your bones!" Uncle suddenly erupted in a fit of laughter, the apparent hilarity of the situation enough to make him double over to control his wheezing. "Sounds like a Chinese proverb,"

"Uncle," Valerie scolded. "Come on, enough with that,"

"It's all my fault," Jade moaned miserably. Valerie had to feel sorry for the poor girl, it was her toy that Jackie had tripped over, and her mess landed Jackie in this predicament. And she'd felt terrible about it, she'd hadn't stopped saying sorry the whole time.

"Jackie is young and strong," Uncle told the girl with a small smile. "He will heal quickly,"

"Accidents happen, Jade," Jackie reassured her kindly. "But do you now see the importance of tidiness?"

"I'll make it up to you Jackie," the girl vowed as she held her uncle's hand. "I promise,"

* * *

A few hours later back at the shop, Valerie was sitting at the ancient computer in the backroom, the thing was chunky as if it had been made from bricks, and ran slower than a snail. Yet Valerie was still drumming her fingers against the table as she waited for the internet page to load. It was a Sunday, so Valerie had an hours break for lunch with no pressing issues to return home for. But instead of having Jade and Jackie to keep her company – for they were in Section 13 until Jackie's leg healed – Valerie was left on her own with Uncle. As she waited for the screen to load, she checked her reflection on the screen, noticing how her bruised face was clearing, though not very fast, as the beating she'd gotten from Valmont had still left her slightly purple across her cheek and around her eye. Her teachers had not been best pleased with it, one had actually pulled her asdie to wonder if she was abused!

"Why did you give most of your translation books to Jackie, when you're supposed to be the one who finds out what these Talismans do?" Valerie asked to Uncle who was pottering about, muttering to himself as he corrected all of Valerie's work – which aggravated her to no end though she tried her hardest to ignore it. "What on earth is the Rat Talisman supposed to do: 'Motion to the motionless'? What does that mean?"

"I don't know! Uncle has other things to do! He also has a shop to run." The old man said.

"I thought that was my job," Valerie muttered.

"It is!" Uncle yelled, close enough that his voice made Valerie's ears hurt as she flinched. "So what are you doing?!"

"I need to buy some books online for my studies. We're doing a paper on the differences and similarities between the Ancient Greek and Roman cultures," Valerie explained.

"On a computer? Are you going to print it out?" he asked.

"No," Valerie turned to look at him. "I meant online shopping. I buy it on the computer and then someone delivers it to me in the post. It's a really easy way to get stuff that most places don't sell. Why don't you have a go?" She hid her smile as she secretly thought that this was going to be hilarious: Uncle on a computer.

"What? Uncle has everything he needs, why would he rely on a machine?" he crossed his arms stubbornly.

"To get into the modern era already," Valerie said as she stood and pushed him into the seat in front of the computer. "Now, let's see… just so you can see how it works, let's buy you, say… a mug,"

"Uncle has antique china tea sets; does not need a mug," he said.

"I know, but we're just doing this to show you," Valerie sighed in exasperation. "Now. First we pick the mug and add it to the basket icon, then we proceed to checkout. Now we got to enter your address,"

"So Uncle can get ambushed by the Tax-Man?! No!" Uncle exclaimed.

"The Tax-Man won't know about it, you have to give them your address otherwise where are they gonna deliver it?" Valerie snapped at him. "Right then, address?"

"Uncle's Rare Finds,"

"I know that," Valerie muttered. "What is the address?"

"63 Harper Street. Could you not read that every time you walk down the road?" Uncle raised an eyebrow at her incredulously.

"Right then," Valerie growled out as she typed in the address over Uncle's shoulder. "Now I need the billing information."

"Billing?" Uncle exclaimed. "How much must I spend on this junk?"

"Well, the mug costs five dollars and then you've got two dollars for delivery –"

"That is garbage!" Uncle shouted. "I could get better quality for half price at the corner store!"

"Look, I'm only trying to show you –" Valerie tried to say, but Uncle cut her off with a loud screech.

"AIIEEEYYYAAAAAA! Uncle does not need your computer nonsense!"

"But I was just –"

"And one MORE thing! I told you I did not want the mug!" he shouted.

"The mug wasn't important!" she yelled quickly just so that she could be heard. "You're just still stuck in the dark ages to actually get on with modern technology!"

"I know how to work a phone and a radio, don't need other technology," Uncle crossed his arms and stuck his nose in the air.

"Why-why-why-WHY did I have to be stuck with such a goat of a man?!" Valerie hissed quietly to herself, but unfortunately it wasn't low enough.

"Oooooooh!" Uncle's eyes widened with anger. "You want a piece of Uncle?"

"Be careful you don't break a hip," Valerie muttered as she folded her arms over her chest. She was actually rather satisfied to see Uncle bristle at the comment like a dog.

"From what? You breaking a fingernail?!" he snarled. "That's all you ever use when working!"

"Excuse me?!" Valerie rounded on him. "Considering the amount of work I do here, I should think you'd be grateful!"

"Grateful?! Ha!" he barked out the forceful laughter in her face, causing Valerie's eye to twitch with the force of her anger. "Some shop-assistant YOU are! Have not made ONE sale!"

"You never have a customer!" Valerie retorted. "Probably scared off by your garlic breath!"

"Garlic is good for you!" he snapped. "You keep putting things in wrong place!" Uncle continued with a furious scowl.

"I tidy up! You leave things hazardously laying everywhere!"

"And always back-chat your boss!"

"Because _my boss_ is a first prize bigoted old coot!" Valerie yelled.

"You are an undisciplined, bad mannered, bad mouthed little witch!"

"Oh yeah? Well if I'm so bad, then I guess you don't want me here anymore!"

"Never wanted you in the first place!"

"Fine then, I'll just leave!" she stormed to the back room to pack up her bag and grab her coat.

"Fine, go!"

"Fine, I will!"

"Fine!"

"FINE!" Valerie shouted as she threw her bag over her shoulder and stepped outside, slamming the store door closed behind her with a loud "BANG!"

* * *

The whole afternoon, Valerie was desperately searching through the newspapers for any form of a job near her apartment. She knew that she couldn't afford to be without one for more than a few days, her month's rent was coming up and she was nearly out of food in the fridge and her last check from the antique shop would only go so far.

She still felt a little bad about leaving. She had loved working there, it was good pay with flexible hours, she loved the people around her, and despite the fact that the adventures terrified her… Valerie had felt alive, more so then she had in months before coming to San Francisco. She had lived an exciting and dangerous life – no matter how much she squealed over it – something she had only ever imagined in her favourite books. But Uncle had just made her so angry, he was a hard man to work for, since day one his little comments and attitude had gotten on her nerves, but she had thought that she had been getting past that and he was actually glad to have her around, even though she'd only been working at the shop just over a week. But apparently not, the man was just too grouchy and stubborn and he had made it pretty clear that she wasn't welcome, so her temper had taken over her head and decided that she was better off elsewhere.

Jackie had already tried to call her, possibly to ask her back, for Valerie knew that at least Jackie and Jade enjoyed her working at the store. But Valerie had ignored the call, she was still too upset and would only become angry again if she heard Uncle commenting in the background. Surprisingly, she'd also received a call from Captain Black; she'd been scared to answer the phone, remembering the little threat of treason charges if she left where Section 13 couldn't watch her every move. But again she was surprised, when she had hesitantly answered, Black had simply been ringing to ask her what had happened and how she was doing. She had asked – rather cautiously – if she was in any trouble, and Black had calmly explained that she was a big girl and able to make her own decisions, and that he trusted her enough to no say something she shouldn't. Valerie had been oddly touched.

So Valerie was stuck looking for job ads in the newspaper, and it wasn't until the last page that she finally found something interesting. A delivery depo just down the road were looking for a local mail boy/girl. Valerie might not own a car – despite the fact that she had a licence – but she _did_ own a good push bike, and she had been meaning to exercise anyway.

How hard could it be?

* * *

Tohru stood before the desk in front of Valmont with the other enforcers, and Shendu felt his patience stretch to its thinnest to see that they were empty handed from another mission. _Again_.

"We found nothing in the debris, master," Tohru bowed his head submissively, whilst the others just looked nervous as their eyes glanced between Shendu and Valmont.

"The Rat Talisman is the key to my freedom, Valmont," Shendu said with a slight hint of frustration in his tone. "It will re-animate me into _flesh_ and _blood_,"

"Oh," Ratso's eyes widened with curiosity. "You mean you'd get back all your dragon powers and stuff?"

"No," Valmont said. "Shendu will still require the other talismans and our _continued assistance_ for that," the man said as he looked over his shoulder pointedly at the statue behind him. Shendu would have curled his lip at the man if he could.

"Judging by experience," Shendu muttered icily. "I will remain in this petrified state _forever!_ And _you_ will never lay your eyes on the lost treasure of Ching Xi Hung…"

"Two words," Valmont said to his men. "Mouse-Hunt."

* * *

Only a few days later, and Valerie was seriously beginning to regret her decision.

This mail-girl job was nothing short of _exhausting_! She only had to deliver to close destinations to the depo, but still, Valerie found herself cycling miles in the early hours of the morning before University hours, and then again after. She would literally come home to collapse on her bed, too tired to even change out of her clothes as she fell into an exhausted sleep on her couch. What didn't make it any better was when her new bosses and also customers would stare at her face and the large bruises that were still visible. Valerie did her best to act like she was made of sugar, all sweet and lovely and pretend that nothing was amiss.

_Come on, Val. You made your bed, now lay in it!_ she told herself stubbornly as she pushed herself to cycle harder, shaking her head to snap herself back into focus before she could drift off. She had one more delivery to complete before she could go home, something just outside of the city centre, to a skyscraper, Valerie was surprised to see. It was an average sized box labelled to 'D.H Industries' to one Mr R. Muris. Valerie quickly parked her bike outside and brought out the last box from her bag-pack, before walking into the building.

She was greeted by a large foyer all made with polished marble that was so clean it practically reflected back Valerie's image like a mirror. She suddenly felt self-conscious with her scruffily tied back hair and grubby coat, an oil stain on her leggings and then her dirty sneakers. But swallowing back her own insecurities, Valerie quickly approached the reception desk, where the most stereo-typical secretary that had ever lived was sat. A woman perhaps in her mid to late twenties, a thin as a stick wearing a designer suit, her hair bleached blonde that made her jet black eyebrows stand out on her smooth face. The woman was rather beautiful with big doe-like eyes and small pouty lips, thin and sleek glasses made her nose seem slimmer as she looked over them at the world. The only thing really wrong with her, in Valerie's opinion, was the mountain of makeup she'd piled onto it, her face was almost orange with foundation that contrasted her pale white neck absurdly; her eyes smoky and dark with huge eyelashes and her lips stained the brightest red. The woman sat in her chair as she listened to the phone, lazily taking notes as she sighed dramatically, chewing gum noisily. She glanced at Valerie, and didn't even bother to hide the curl of her lip as she saw the younger woman's clothes.

Valerie felt her hackles bristle as she scowled at the woman, depositing her package on the desk with a rather loud "BANG". The woman flinched from the sound and scowled as she tried to ignore her visitor and listen to the phone call.

"Excuse me," Valerie said in an overly sweet voice, smiling brightly as she batted her eyes at the woman before her, making an effort to be overly nice and patronising. "I _hate_ to be a nuisance, but I'm here to deliver a package for Mr R. Muris of D.H. Industries?"

"Take the elevator to the top floor," the receptionist muttered with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Valerie blinked, tempted to remain and pester the woman some more for her rudeness. But sighed as she thought that it would just save her the hassle if she dropped off the parcel herself and left. This was against protocol, as the receptionist was meant to take the package and pass it on to whoever it was meant for. But Valerie guessed that she was too engrossed with her own laziness to do it herself. So she stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for the top floor, settling against the far wall as she held the package in her arms as the lift carried her up.

As the elevator doors opened, Valerie was ushered in to a long hallway decorated with wonderful red carpet and lush dark walls adorned with all manner of expensive trappings and antiques that made Valerie's inner historian squeal with delight. She could see things from dark-age Europe, ancient Indian statues made of solid jade, huge bronze disks that were decorated with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Valerie was practically grinning as she looked at such treasure, surely all of this must be worth a fortune!

But that alone was enough of an incentive to get her moving as she knew she shouldn't touch _anything_ in here, no matter how much she wanted to. Oh, what she wouldn't give to be able to look over every square inch of these priceless artefacts! She came to a large set of double doors, and seeing no bell, she politely knocked. But there was no answer. Taking a brave breath, she knocked again, this time a little harder –

One of the doors moved a little, creaking slightly as it yielded to her. Valerie felt her heart beat a little faster as she hesitantly held out her hand and gently pushed the door open and popped her head inside the next room.

She entered a long office, the black marble floor broken by a red carpet that led down the middle to a large mahogany desk at the other end of the room. Valerie looked around in amazement as more priceless antiques and objects were displayed around the room. Eastern statues, swords and spears and maces and axes from all time periods and cultures were in glass cases. The entire room stank of wealth just waiting to be spent. Valerie stared in amazement at such wonders… who could possibly afford –

Realisation jolted back into her head as she remembered why she was here, and that no one was in the office at the moment. That could change quickly, and if she was caught, she might be in a lot of trouble for being where she shouldn't.

"Hello?" she called out hesitantly, but no one answered her. With a steadying breath, Valerie quickly marched up to the large mahogany desk and placed the parcel neatly in one corner. She was about to swiftly turn and make her exit, when something caught her eye…

On the wall behind the desk, was a very large statue of a coiling Chinese Dragon with its head sticking out and snarling as it bared its teeth. It was expertly carved, as if the artist had been sculpting a real creature; the face reptilian-like, with a long snout and flat nose with bristle-like whiskers at the side of each nostril. Large fangs curved from its snarling mouth, eight horns framed the back of its head like a crown, and red eyes looked onto the world before it, and Valerie felt her spine quiver as she _felt_ a sense of anger and knowledge in those eyes. She had the creepiest feeling that those eyes were watching her, and as she stared, she found herself mesmerised by their depths, like that of a cobra, it sucked her in, hypnotising her as she felt her feet move closer as if under some silent command.

She moved around the desk as if not realising it until she was face to face with the statue, only a foot separating them. Valerie gazed in wonder at the face before her, as if the eyes were staring right back at her, examining her as she assessed it. The Statue was old, _very_ old; it wasn't worn or broken, in fact it looked as if it had been well looked after, but the way the stone looked, the way it seemed to have been moulded wasn't in the style of how statues had been made in any part of recent history. Valerie would guess that it was centuries old, and if she knew her ancient Chinese – as her pride said she did – she would guess that it belonged to a very-very old Chinese culture, perhaps even on the same time frame as the Xin Dynasty. As she looked closer into the eyes, she saw that there were markings on the face that looked like tattoos: a matching pair of swirls that came from down the snout, up beside the eyes and curled over the brow. Everything about the statue screamed ancient and _powerful_. Valerie didn't know what it was, but something about it spoke to her most primitive instincts, telling her that this was something beyond her comprehension.

Hesitating, as if her will was no longer her own, Valerie carefully reached up gently touched the face of the statue. Her fingers softly grazed the cheek and stroked down the jaw as if she were marvelling at a real creature who's power was held in check for just a moment for her to worship. But the instant her fingers touched the cool stone, Valerie felt a jolt run up her arm, and warmth spread through her, rolling across her body like a wave of fire racing through her. She gasped softly at the surprise, her eyes fluttering as she felt a form of energy fill her up, something she had never felt before, something powerful and uncontrollable and raw, and only a fraction of the true potential. Valerie had no idea what was happening, perhaps she was just a little excited and imagining this feeling in the presence of something that was clearly worth more money than her whole university course. She stared once again into the eyes of the creature, as if she were waiting for it to blink – an impossibility, she silently scolded herself, seeing as it was a statue after all. But she couldn't look away, even when something in the back of her mind was telling her that she should be noticing something, something important. But what –

Suddenly, Valerie heard voices coming from the hallway, snapping her out of her trance as she spun around to look at the door in panic, breaking the contact she had with the statue. Her heart was suddenly hammering in her chest, her breath coming in quick pants as she realised she was about to be caught somewhere she shouldn't be!

"This had better be good, Tohru," came a voice that made Valerie freeze in place with absolute terror. A posh British accent that she recognised… dear god… she was in VALMONT'S OFFICE?!

Realising the potential danger she was in, Valerie knew she had to hide and hope for an escape. Looking around frantically, Valerie saw a small door off to the side of the office, perhaps a cupboard? It didn't matter, in her panic she simply ran for the door and hid herself inside the dark little room.

Closing the door behind her, Valerie was enveloped in darkness as she quickly sat down, trying to calm her loud breathing as she tried to be as quiet as she possibly could. It wasn't until she backed up into a feather duster that she began to panic as she clamped her hands over her nose and mouth as an itch began to build behind her nose.

* * *

Shendu had been driving himself crazy with impatience as he thought about how the Rat Talisman had been discovered, and it was within this very city yet just out of his grasp! If he needed any singular one of the Talismans, it would be this one alone, for it was the one that would make him a living creature once again. As long as he had it, its power would keep him from turning to stone once again. And yet how typical was it, that Valmont and his fools couldn't even get their hands on that ONE Talisman!

He could sense that Valmont was unnerved by the demon's brooding silent anger at his back, the hot breath of the Dragon Talisman emanating from Shendu in a clear warning of his volatile mood. Valmont had thought it wise to excuse himself in order to get himself a coffee in the staff room where the enforcers usually spent their free time on the floor below. Shendu had watched him walk away, left alone to try and vent his frustration. He was so desperate to be free, it was a like a burn along his scales that he couldn't stop, his skin felt too tight, his ancient bones felt as if they would break and crack when he finally moved. It was a disease, and the cure was just within his grasp that his anxiety was like a choke hold around his throat.

And then, who should walk in but the very last person he expected to see.

Shendu felt every thought in his mind leave him and he became momentarily speechless in shock as he saw Valerie Payne enter Valmont's office. She poked her head in as she called for someone to answer her, but when no one spoke she bravely ventured deeper into the office, her gaze marvelling at all of the precious historical items that Valmont had proudly displayed in various cases and pedestals, a show of his wealth and power to all. Shendu was still shocked to see her here, but thought it would be best if he remained silent and observed, a tiger in the grass, watching and undetected in plain sight. The woman had placed a parcel on Valmont's desk, which made Shendu curious as to why she was here; didn't she work at the antique shop?

But then her gaze had caught on Shendu, and he saw the moment when she beheld him, the wonder and awe entering her gaze as she reverently stepped closer, and it boosted his ego to no end. He was as mesmerised as her as he watched in fascination as she came closer and closer to him, so slowly until she was within a foot of him, painfully close and yet out of his reach with him unable to move. She stared at him, straight into his eyes, and Shendu felt something inside of him spark into a flame under her gaze, a heat blazing through him as he marvelled at how no one had dared to look at him so openly before. She looked at him as if he were something beautiful and awe-inspiring, yet gazed into his soul as if he were an open book for her to read. It had taken all of his self-control to not make his eyes glow, to keep them at the same level in order to keep up his trickery. He wanted to see what she would do.

With her this close, he was also able to see first-hand her injuries. It had been days since he had last spied on her, and now he could everything for himself. She had a large purple bruise in a crescent shape around one eye, and further discoloration across her cheek, the flesh ever so slightly swollen and flushed around the edges from blood induced trauma. Valmont had hurt her, badly, it would take a few weeks for these marks to fade completely, and Shendu felt his anger return within him like an inferno as he saw the damage caused to his things by someone who was to careless when playing with it! What good would his vengeance be if she was already too broken to be satisfying to break himself? He wanted to speak to her, demand to know that it was Valmont who had done this, but reigned his impulses in, knowing that now was the time to observe the prey, not spook it.

And then, she had touched him. Voluntarily. With her own bare hands. It was not like before, when Shendu had been wearing another's skin, which separated them from true contact in spirit. Now, it was her flesh against his, just her hand as she softly, reverently, stroked the side of his face from his cheek and down along his jaw. And at the contact, Shendu had to choke back his involuntary gasp as he felt a rush of energy take place between them, something flowing into him, a chi unlike anything he had ever felt before, filling him up until he thought he would burst. It melded with his own demon-magic, giving it a boost he had not felt in centuries, not since before Lo Pei's spell. It made him feel whole, completed, feeding him from a hunger he hadn't even known he was starving of. And from her reaction, Shendu could guess that she felt it to; a shiver ran down her spine, causing her to gasp softly, her eyes fluttering closed for just a moment. When she opened them again, Shendu was once more shocked to see a dull red glow in the very depths of her pupils, one that looked remarkably like his own. But with a blink, it was gone.

_It can't be…_ Shendu thought as he stared into her eyes, searching for any sign of what he thought –

But then, they had both heard voices coming from the hallway outside, the voices of Valmont and his men approaching. Valerie had broken the contact and spun around in panic, the connection between them instantly breaking and Shendu lost whatever power he had felt when she touched him. He had been tempted to summon his Shadowkhan to stop Valmont before he could enter, but to do so would only make Valmont suspicious, and Shendu wanted to keep this secret to himself until he knew exactly what was going on between him and this human girl.

Valerie quickly ran for the cupboard at the side of the office and closed the door behind her as she hid. And not a moment too soon, as Valmont entered not a second later, his enforcers close behind, Tohru holding something squirming in his grasp.

"What is it Tohru?" Valmont asked irritably as he sat behind his desk with his elbows on the desk and his fingers interlocked. "Did you find the Talisman?"

"We did," the Japanese behemoth grumbled out in his usual deep voice.

Tohru then deposited something on the desk in front of Valmont, and Shendu would have blinked in surprise as he saw a toy moving about, squirming in place as it fought against the bounds that tied its wrists and ankles together.

"Troll armies are amassing!" the thing cried out in a gravelly voice as it continued to struggle. "Gnome Cop must be liberated!"

"What is it going on about?" Valmont asked in deep confusion as he frowned at the living toy on his desk.

"Turbo Troll is Gnome Cop's arch enemy," everyone turned to look at Ratso, who was twiddling his large thumbs as he rattled off this useless information as if it was nothing. Shendu seethed as he watched the idiot with growing impatience. "See, the emperor of Troll Castle hates gnomes because Gnomes possess magic from the great crystal. So Gnome Cop uses his power belt to…" Ratso trailed off as he suddenly noticed that everyone was looking at him with extreme annoyance. "Err, I collect them," he said sheepishly. "Hey, is that mine?"

The man's eyes had caught on the parcel on the desk that Valerie had delivered earlier, and quickly ripped open the packaging as he beheld the toy inside, still in the box. He hugged it to his chest as he beamed with excitement like a child. Shendu thought it all to be rather pathetic.

"Achoo!" came a little squeak from the cupboard. It was hardly noticeable, but in the silence that had followed Ratso's little speech, Shendu felt a sense of alarm sweep through him as Valmont turned to look for the source of the –

"Enough of Sprites and Fairies!" Shendu roared viciously, his voice so loud that it jolted everyone in the room back to the topic at hand, and thankfully away from Valerie's hiding place. "The Talisman, Valmont!" he ordered with a snarl.

Valmont picked up the toy and looked for where it could have stored the Talisman, before looking at the back and the battery compartment. Upon opening it, Shendu could practically see the Rat Talisman and his key to freedom!

"Argh! Gnome-Cop escaped the Bald-Headed-Giant's fortress!" the toy snarled out defiantly. "He will escape _you_ as well!"

"Bald headed giant?" Valmont echoed as he paused, blinking as something shimmered behind his dark eyes. "Could he mean Captain Black?" he shot a look at Shendu.

"Does. It. _Matter?!_" Shendu hissed with mounting desperation. "Give me the Talisman!"

"Shendu," Valmont tapped a finger to his chin, eyes shifting as he thought. "If this gnome _escaped_ from Section 13, then perhaps it can _lead_ us there,"

"Ahhh…the other Talismans…" Shendu breathed as comprehension finally dawned on him, making his anger dissipate as he thought of all his other Talismans, all his lost powers.

"Mighty Warrior," Valmont said to the gnome as he lifted it to face him. "We just received word that Turbo Troll has claimed the bald headed giant's fortress as his stronghold,"

"ARGH!" the tiny creature roared. "I will have his head!" Valmont smirked to his enforcers.

"Take him back to where you found him, let him lead you to Section 13," he ordered as he gave the toy back to Tohru.

"Yes Master," Tohru bowed his head before turning as he and the other enforcers left.

"Your men had better succeed, Valmont," Shendu growled warningly. "I should _hate_ to lose this Talisman to your negligence,"

"So long as Jackie Chan doesn't interfere before my men can do their job, then I have no doubt that they will succeed," Valmont replied in a smooth and cold tone of voice.

"Not one week ago, your men were overwhelmed by an old man, a child and a woman armed only with a bat," Shendu muttered.

"I have ways of eliminating such complications, should they become too bothersome…" a slight smirk tugged at the human's lips, one that Shendu wanted to claw off. "Section 13 has the antique shop covered with surveillance, but they haven't installed such measures around Miss Payne's apartment as of yet. All I need do is make one phone call and she will be dead in the morning,"

"Leave the girl, Valmont!" Shendu growled icily, trying to pretend that he didn't notice the sharp intake of breath that he heard coming from the cupboard. "You are not to tamper with her,"

"And why not?" the man asked defensively. "If she is getting in the way of the hunt for your precious Talismans then –"

"It amuses me to watch your men be beaten senseless by someone of far less skill then they. And when you have remained as I have, you take entertainment where you can find it; boredom is the one thing able to drive you to madness." Shendu said coldly, hoping that the half-truth would be enough. "The girl is of value to me Valmont, so do not touch her,"

"Very well," Valmont sighed. "If you so wish,"

"And besides," Shendu said with an obvious smirk in his voice. "I should like to think that you will not be outwitted by a young woman,"

"We know where she lives; we can handle her should it come to that," Valmont replied coldly. He stayed in the office for a few minutes longer, simply directing his network through his computer and taking a few calls, before he excused himself once more.

It was a full minute after he left that Valerie finally emerged from the cupboard. She was shaking and seemed physically terrified as she looked about to see if anyone was watching her. Shendu watched as she then ran for the office door and slipped out into the hallway beyond. He watched her go, and was half tempted to summon his Shadowkhan once again in order stop her, to reveal himself to her and have that power he always felt when she touched him.

But not now. Now was the time to wait, and he needed to think, to see if this was truly what he thought it was.

* * *

Valerie didn't stop running until she'd reached her apartment and locked every bolt and lock on her front door, closed all her curtains and retreated to the very corner of her bedroom floor, bringing her knees to her chest as she struggled not to have a full panic-attack.

The Dark Hand… she had just been inside their headquarters, or at least, Valmont's office. She'd been so close to getting caught… what would they have done if they'd found her? She gingerly touched the bruise on the side of her face, a phantom pain rippling across her skin as she remembered facing down Valmont and the ruthless look in his eyes as he struck at her with the power of the Dragon Talisman. If he'd found her in his office, he would have surely killed her, or would have tortured her for the location of Section 13. Valerie could only thank her lucky stars that she hadn't been caught. But she had managed to learn some very valuable information.

Namely, that Valmont wasn't in charge, he was working for someone, or someone had hired the Dark Hand's resources through Valmont. That was the person who was orchestrating this, this "Shendu" character, whoever he was, he was the one who wanted the Talismans, the Dark Hand were just the muscle to get it. Valerie realised that if she picked up the phone at that precise second she could call Captain Black, tell him where to find Valmont… But then she would think on the last part of the conversation she had heard, when Valmont had talked about her specifically… _We know where she lives… it would take just a phone call and she'd be dead by the morning…_

It made her feel physically sick to think that someone could be watching her apartment right now, planning to put a bullet in her head, and she wouldn't even have known. No, if she went to Black, Valmont would know it was her for sure and she might as well sign her own death certificate. But what could she do –

Jackie.

She remembered, Valmont had sent his men along with – and it still sounded crazy to her – the toy Gnome-Cop to find Section 13 and retrieve the other Talismans. Valerie couldn't let that happen, if her own experiences had taught her one thing, it was that people got hurt when bad-people had powerful objects. She had to warn them, she had to try and stop this!

Snatching her phone from her purse and quickly retreating back to her corner, Valerie quickly punched in Jackie's phone number and was practically shaking again with anxiety as she waited for Jackie to pick up. She prayed that he would pick up, that he hadn't left his phone somewhere out of earshot; please, please, PLEASE! Thankfully, he picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Jackie!" Valerie burst out with an emotional sob as all of the pent up terror in her came spilling out all at once.

"Valerie?" Jackie exclaimed, his voice filled with urgency and concern. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"J-Jackie, listen to me!" she stuttered, before taking a deep breath and trying to regain control of herself. "Don't ask me how I know this, just listen! I-I know it sounds crazy, but the Rat Talisman? Motion to the Motionless?"

"It brings inanimate objects to life, yes, I know," Jackie muttered with a frustrated sigh. "Jade activated it in her Gnome-Cop toy, we're trying to look for it now,"

"Jackie!" Valerie almost shouted in alarm. "You have to do something! The Dark Hand have Gnome Cop! They're using him; they're gonna follow him back to Section 13 to get the other Talismans!"

"BWHA-?!" Jackie exclaimed, and she could practically picture his eyes go big in his head. "How did you –"

"Jackie you have to stop them!"

"I will. Look, listen, Valerie… please come back to the Shop," Jackie said in a pleading tone. "Jade and I really miss you, and we could really use your help –"

"I'd love to Jackie," Valerie whispered as she tried not to sniff to give away the tears of fear and sorrow that stung her eyes. "But Uncle made it pretty clear how he felt, and I can't come back until I hear an apology from him,"

"But I –"

"Jackie!" Valerie heard Jade say urgently on the other side of the phone.

"You need to go, make sure the Dark Hand don't get anywhere near Section 13!" Valerie whispered to him urgently.

"I will, thank you Valerie," he said to her softly.

Valerie hung up, and drooped in her corner, miserable and feeling utterly alone.

* * *

Shendu sensed Valerie even before he saw her as his astral form swept through her walls into her apartment and he hovered in the air above her. He watched her, as white as a sheet, shaking as she tried to control her fear, her breathing unsteady and her eyes shining with tears. In that moment, she looked like a frightened rabbit more than a woman.

Shendu grinned to himself.

Notions of revenge, thoughts of her death to satisfy his bloodlust, all were gone from his mind, for now he knew what connection he had with Valerie; it had taken him a while to figure it out, and then a while longer to be sure. But after her little visit today, he finally had all the pieces of the puzzle in place. There was no mistaking it.

Valerie was his _Other_.

It was always known that there was a constant balance in the universe: a yin and a yang to all things. Magical beings were all made of either light or dark Chi, each being one side of the coin. Legends spoke however, that should one find their Other, the yin to their yang, then they will be completed, the powers of both boosted by their partner. That was what Shendu had been feeling, every time he and Valerie touched, he was feeling a transfer of energy as the other half of himself was made whole. She was his perfect match in every way, there would be none other like her, they were made to fit together. In her presence he would be at his strongest, his demon magic responded to her and was much more potent from her chi, but that was only a fraction of the true power due to the fact that he wasn't even living flesh like her. He could only guess that when he regained his true form, and they touched skin to skin, it would finally have the full effect and he would be unstoppable!

Valerie had no idea, but she was suddenly incredibly valuable to the Demon-Sorcerer who secretly watched her.


	5. A Friend In Need

A Friend In Need

* * *

Both Shendu and Valmont were glaring at the assembled enforcers in front of them, who had failed at yet _ANOTHER_ mission. Not only had they allowed the Rat Talisman to escape their grasp as well as the location of Section 13 – at which Shendu had raged at Valmont for the best part of an hour – but not a few days later they had been sent to the Alps to retrieve the Horse Talisman and had come back with nothing.

Well not exactly nothing, they were all disgustingly ill. Ratso had a leaking nose and the shivers, Finn was coughing up his lungs, Chow was sneezing uncontrollably and Tohru was bellowing his sneezes as they sprayed everywhere. Apparently Chan had outwitted them yet again, this time by causing a minor avalanche to fall on them, hence their ailments.

"AAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Tohru bellow once again, the spray of his snot and saliva going everywhere, including onto Valmont's sleeve.

"Cover your mouth!" Valmont snapped irritably as he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe away at his sleeve.

The Enforcer's tried to stifle their symptoms as best they could, but were still shivering and sniffling uncontrollable.

"B-b-b-Big V," Finn shivered pathetically. "D-do you th-think you could t-t-t-turn up the h-h-heat?"

_"_Allow_ me,_" Shendu hissed as a torrent of fire suddenly poured from his mouth, causing the enforcers to scream as they all dove for the ground to avoid the flames that passed over their heads, narrowly avoiding even singing their hair. Shendu allowed his rage to fuel the flames, keeping them going until it threatened to start setting the office on fire. Only then did he finally relent. All four enforcers poked their heads over the desk, eyes wide and shaking though not from their colds.

"That's plenty!" Finn squeaked.

"Much obliged," Ratso added quickly in a nasally voice.

"Careful Shendu," Valmont warned as he turned to look at the statue, whose mouth was still hissing steam. "If you charbroil the help, they'll never find the next Talisman,"

"The _next_ Talisman is insufficient Valmont," Shendu growled with his usual impatience. "I need _all twelve_ if I am to shed this petrified skin and regain my true powers!"

"We are working on it, Shendu," Valmont said in a hard tone.

"With your customary ineptitude," Shendu went on icily. "Once again, this Chan has snatched another Talisman from your so called '_professionals_',"

"Too bad Chan aint working for us," Ratso coughed.

Valmont turned to look at his enforcers then, a thoughtful look crossing his features as he tapped a finger against his chin.

"Perhaps he can be persuaded…" Valmont smirked, and the enforcers just looked at each other, confused.

* * *

Valerie hated being sick. She hated it because it meant going to the doctors, which meant needles, tests, bills, monotonous men droning on at her, and possibly nasty tasting medication to take. What she hated even more, apparently, was having a sore throat, stuffed head and having to cycle everywhere the post depo assigned her in the cold and wet. But she dared not complain, her new boss had already kicked up a fuss when she said she wanted no more trips to the city centre after her trip to Valmont's office.

The only thing that could take away the awful feeling in her gut even slightly, was a hot cup of tea as she walked out of the coffee store, sighing contentedly as the tea slipped down her throat, soothing the ache and the warmth helping her shivering hands. She couldn't stop a groan as she looked at her bike, knowing she had more parcels to deliver, which meant more in the January cold and rain. She really hated her new job.

All of a sudden, her phone began to ring, and she fumbled for a moment to fish it out of her pocket with numb fingers and answer it.

"Hello?" she said.

"Whoa, Val, you sound terrible," came Jade's voice.

"Thanks," Valerie grunted. "How you doing?"

"We're good. Listen! Uncle's out at Bingo tonight, so Jackie and I were gonna have dinner at the shop, and we were wondering if you wanted to come," the girl said in a rush.

"Uncle plays bingo?" Valerie raised an eyebrow in astonishment.

"Err, yeah, sure, all the time!" Jade said a little too quickly. "Please say you'll come, please-please-please!" she begged into the phone.

Valerie thought about it for a moment. It would be nice to see friendly faces again, and to have a decent meal, not the cheap junk food (which she loathed) she'd had to buy recently when she got back from work too exhausted to cook.

"Sure, what time?" she said as she tried to smother a cough.

"YES!" Jade shouted happily, so loud that Valerie had to hold the phone away from her ear with a wince. "Come to the shop at eight! Thanks Val!"

Then she hung up.

* * *

Valmont waited in the office as Shendu summoned the long shadow to cross the floor of the room with a threatening air. It stopped about a foot or two from Valmont's feet, and from it materialised a Shadowkhan holding a metal box. Deftly, the Shadowkhan undid the latch and lifted the lid, revealing a glass vial of bubbling amber liquid, a snake carved of jade twisting around the outside of the container. Valmont smirked as he reached into the box and lifted up the vial in order to see its contents better in the light.

"This potion should accommodate your needs _perfectly_ Valmont," Shendu murmured as the human grinned.

"Then by this time tomorrow," Valmont said triumphantly. "Chan will have no choice but to work for the Dark Hand. Now, for the bait…"

* * *

Jackie climbed down the face of the presidents on Mount Rushmore, edging his way down as he held onto the rope as if his life depended on it… which it did. Captain Black had phoned Jackie that morning to tell him that Section 13 intelligence had detected another Talisman on Mount Rushmore, and Jackie had endured the gruelling flight in order to try and find another Talisman in the same week, having found the horse talisman in the Alps. If things kept up this pace then the hunt for the remaining Talisman's would be over within the month!

However, they didn't mean that getting to them still wasn't challenging.

"Argh, the Talisman couldn't be in the gift shop?" Jackie grunted to himself as he dropped further down the giant face. He came until he was level with the eye, and grinned when he saw the sparkle of a talisman glittering within. "Ah, what big eyes you have… don't blink Mr President," Jackie muttered as he reached into the huge eye and plucked the talisman from the rock wall at the back.

However, when he pulled it out to look at his prize, Jackie was most confused to see that it was the Serpent Talisman.

"The snake? We already got that one!" he frowned.

It all happened so fast, he couldn't stop it before it was too late. The Talisman suddenly split and opened up, two fangs leaping forth and puncturing the skin of his hand, causing a burning pain to erupt in Jackie's hand. He cried out, flinching on instinct, causing the fake Talisman to fall hundreds of feet to the ground below.

He suddenly felt woozy, and Jackie had to struggle to keep his hold on the rope as he climbed back up towards the top. As he reached the top, he was suddenly stopped when a well-crafted and polished Italian shoe came into his path. Looking up, Jackie was shocked to see Valmont glowering down at him.

"Valmont –"

Suddenly, Valmont seized Jackie by his sweater, pulling him up to the top and setting him down in front of him. Jackie's confusion only escalated by the minuet.

"Upsie-daisy," Valmont smirked. As soon as Jackie's feet touched the ground, he placed himself into a battle-ready position, though Valmont didn't appear worried, in fact he looked at Jackie's hand curiously. "Oh, snake-bite, could be fatal…"

"You bring me all the way out here to poison me?" Jackie narrowed his eyes at the other man as he glanced at the wound on his hand the fangs of the talisman had inflicted on him.

"A rather appropriate lure," Valmont said with a hint of smugness. "Since the venom now rushing through your veins will soon turn you to stone,"

"Just because I believe in magic Talismans," Jackie glowered at his enemy. "Doesn't mean I'm gullible,"

"A visual aid," Valmont said as he plucked a passing fly out of the air, bringing a tiny vial filled with amber liquid from his pocket. He poured just a drop onto the insect, and Jackie watched with mounting horror as it completely turned to stone. Jackie gasped, looking at his own hand as if he expected it to turn to stone. "In twelve hours Mr Chan," Valmont smiled cruelly as he held up the stone insect for Jackie to see. "You shall be among the statuesque. The venom takes twelve hours to fully infect humans," Valmont went on to explain as he pocketed the stone insect. "Fortunately for you, an antidote does exist, and I can provide you with that antidote Mr Chan,"

"What's the catch?"

"An exchange of goods," Valmont said simply as a helicopter began to circle above them. "The cure to your affliction, for the Talismans at Section 13. Should you decide you're interested in my offer, you may rendezvous with my men at Coit Tower in exactly eleven hours and fifty two minutes… and don't forget the Talismans."

Valmont turned around to leave, and Jackie, filled with a growing sense of desperation as the full weight of his situation came crashing done on him, flung himself after Valmont, turning the other man around and rifling through all of his pockets. Valmont didn't move, only looked at Jackie as if to ask what the hell he was doing. But as his search came up with nothing, Jackie angrily looked into Valmont's face, not bothering to hide the fear that sank behind his eyes.

"Where is the antidote?!" he demanded.

"You think I'd be foolish enough to bring it with me?" Valmont sneered as he kicked Jackie away from him.

In his anger, Jackie launched himself at Valmont, doing his best to try and cause the man any kind of pain. Jackie still hadn't fully gotten over what Valmont did to Captain Black and Valerie, and this was just the perfect opportunity to release that anger. But just like at the gold reserve, Valmont matched Jackie move for move, the pair equal in skill and technique as Valmont calmly defended and didn't allow any blow to hit. They fought and struggled until Valmont managed to kick Jackie towards the ledge, where he wobbled precariously, and was about to fall when Valmont snatched out a hand to pull him back to safety.

"Ah-ah-ah! Need those Talismans…" he said in a sing-song voice.

Jackie kicked off his grip, growling as he once again leapt after Valmont and began to fight him, throwing punches and launching high kicks which Valmont blocked constantly. Jackie put on a burst of speed to his movement, catching the other man by surprise as he knocked his cane aside and grabbed his tie. He was about to punch him square in the face… when Jackie felt something very strange begin to happen to him: at first it was like a tingling, which then transformed into a roaring pain that made him squirm and contort… before one finger on his right hand turned to stone.

"Ah, so it begins…" Valmont's eyes glittered maliciously in the light of the setting sun. He kicked Jackie off of him, sending the man sprawling to the ground. Jackie tried to get up, but felt the breath knocked out of his lungs. "Time is a wasting, Mr Chan," he heard Valmont call above the roar of the helicopter. "And it's a two hour flight back to San Francisco!"

Jackie could then only watch helplessly as Valmont climbed into the aircraft and it took off, leaving Jackie all alone on the peak.

* * *

Valerie smiled as she walked up to the familiar antique store, a buzz entering her stomach as she knocked on the door politely. Quickly taking out a tissue and blowing her nose to try and clear her sinuses before she would meet her friends again. She felt a little foolish to be so happy to see her friends again, she was an adult now, not a child. But that didn't stop her from nearly bouncing at the prospect of chatting with Jade and talking with Jackie, to see what they had been up to recently, to hear all the latest gossip about magic talismans and secret government organisations. She knocked again, and waited on the doorstep. What she was met with however, was not what she expected.

Uncle opened the door, and instantly upon seeing each other, the two yelped in surprise.

"You?!" they both said in unison.

"What are you doing here?" Uncle demanded hotly. "I thought I fired you!"

"I thought YOU were supposed to be at Bingo!" Valerie snapped back with a croak.

"Bingo?! Uncle is not an ancient relic, he does not play Bingo!" he yelled.

"Oh… hey Valerie…" came a nervous voice, and both Uncle and Valerie turned to look over his shoulder to see Jade standing awkwardly behind Uncle, a huge and nervous grin on her face. "Nice of you to drop by…"

"Jade…" Valerie and Uncle said in a testy tone as they folded their arms.

"Okay!" Jade blurted. "I invited Val for dinner, so you two could make up and she could come back! But that's not gonna work now is it?! Maybe she can help?" Jade looked at Uncle with pleading eyes.

"Do not meddle in Uncle's affairs. And one more thing: she wouldn't know anything anyway!" Uncle snapped.

"Wait, what's going on?" Valerie asked Jade, wondering what could make the normally fearless girl sound so spooked.

"Val, we have a situation…" Jade murmured. "Do you know anything about ancient poisons?"

"We've covered a little in class, and if I don't know then history books will tell me," Valerie said with a small smile, wanting to make the girl the same smiling face of confidence she'd known.

"Good! Then you can come in and help!" Jade exclaimed as she shoved past Uncle and practically dragged Valerie into the shop.

"Poison is not normal, it is magic!" Uncle muttered as he closed the door a little too forcefully.

"Magic poison?" Valerie asked.

"Yes," came Jackie's sorrowful voice, and Valerie turned around to look at him where he sat in the corner, his head dropped and his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Valmont lured me to Mount Rushmore, he poisoned me, and now… I'm turning to stone,"

"What? You got to be pulling my leg…" Valerie laughed nervously, her stomach sinking even as denial raced through her. "What, like a medusa effect?" she tried to joke it off, but realised that no one was laughing with her. Jackie then slowly held up his right hand, and Valerie yelped and leapt back in fright when she saw that one of his fingers was made completely of stone. "Oh my… this is real?!"

"Yes, and according to Valmont, it will affect the rest of me ten hours from now, the only antidote is with him. And he will only give it to me if I give him the Talismans," Jackie told her sadly.

"Then WE make a cure," Valerie said, suddenly finding a conviction in herself she hadn't known was there.

"That is what I am doing!" Uncle snapped defensively as he turned to stroll towards the backroom.

"Fine, then I will research it!" Valerie snapped at him bitterly.

"You? Work? Ha!" Uncle said forcefully. "You couldn't navigate those books! What do you call a blonde in a library? Lost!" Uncle laughed, and Valerie scowled at him.

"Why you –!"

"Enough you two!" Jackie scolded them, and they both went their separate ways in the back room, Uncle to his desk, and Valerie to the piles and shelves of books and began to sort through the many titles before her, plucking out one after the other into a neat pile of the books that looked promising.

"I will make an antidote, just you wait and see…" Uncle muttered under his breath.

"But Uncle, we don't know the formula," Jackie said hopelessly.

"Bah!" Uncle waved a hand dismissively as he reached for an egg-shaped object on one of his shelves. "Mine will be just as good," he looked at the thing in his fingers before handing it to Jackie. "Swallow,"

Jackie shrugged, before eating it in one gulp. Almost immediately, his eyes widened and he retched, cheeks bulging as he clamped a hand over his mouth, stomach rumbling its protests.

"That's the antidote?" Jade asked sceptically with a thumb pointed at Jackie's face.

"No." Uncle said simply. "Fomented beetle lava is good protein,"

Unable to hold it in a second longer, Jackie heaved once again as he turned and ran out of the backroom towards the bathroom.

"And that was _so_ helpful for this situation," Valerie muttered.

"You hush up!" Uncle snapped at her, and Valerie stuck her tongue out at him in response.

Whilst Uncle was actually working on the antidote, Valerie reclined in a chair, drowning out all background noise as she patiently searched the indexes of her chosen books to try and see if there was anything useful. What she had always learned from her father, was that a good investigator always went to the past when trying to solve a mystery. Even if it be the victim's backstory, or if the way the victim died resembled something from mythology or history or religion, each could give vital clues to the nature of what you were dealing with. Valerie felt a wave of grief sweep through her at the very thought of her father, but she pressed on and blinked back the automatic tears, knowing she didn't have the time to sink into her usual silent hole whenever her thoughts turned to something like this.

So, she had first looked to history, as she always did; her own encyclopaedic knowledge lending her a bucket-full of information, such as famous poisons from arsenic to belladonna to cyanide. Whatever she couldn't remember off the top of her head, she read from her many history books, some from her bag others just plucked from Uncle's shelf. However, these might have told her the appliances of more widely used poisons, but none of them that could help in this situation. She even looked through some of the Chinese books in Uncle's collection (all in English, thankfully) and found some interesting pages on Chinese poisons; one that looked rather promising was the Gu poison. Apparently it was created by sealing several poisonous creatures away and allowing them to eat each other until the sole survivor had a concentration of toxins inside it, and then milking it for the poison. The poison could do a number of things apparently, both magical and practical, such as causing hallucinations, a painful death, creating diseases even. But unfortunately, there was not even one mention of turning someone to stone.

So she then turned to mythology, for this current problem did seem to have more of a basis in magic then in reality – Valerie had to correct that thought as she reminded herself that she had been proven wrong with the existence of these talismans and apparently demonic possession as well. She read up on many things, most obviously being the Gorgan sister Medusa, and then there was the basilisk, as well as the cockatrice, all three of which turned people to stone with a single look. And frustratingly yet again, there was nothing on poisons.

She looked over at Uncle and the others, who were all working over a glass beaker filled with a bubbling liquid that smelled rather bitter, even from where Valerie was sitting across the room. Uncle added a single drop of a liquid from a syringe to the potion, and Jade hastily handed it to Jackie.

"Drink," Uncle told him. Jackie looked a little nervous, but swallowed the potion. There was a few minutes of heavy silence as everyone waited for it to work, even Valerie. And then Jackie started to contort and squirm again, but not as if he were sick like before.

And then something happened that made everyone's jaw in the room drop. Valerie's eyes bulged as she stared. Jackie had just grown green scales! Everyone was still staring at him when he finally finished growing his new skin, and he looked around at their horror struck faces in confusion.

"What? What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing…" Uncle breathed, eyes wide. "D-don't look in the mirror!" he cried, but too late.

"ARGH!" Jackie screamed as he turned to look at the full length mirror that was standing right beside him, seeing himself in all his scaly glory.

"I told you not to look in the mirror!" Uncle yelled as he slapped a palm over his face.

"Argh! I am a lizard! I will become a stone lizard!" Jackie cried miserably as he clapped both hands over his face. But as he tried to pull his hands away, his fingers caught on his scales, ripping it away with the sound of tearing paper, revealing normal human skin underneath.

"See, reptiles shed their skin, no problem," Uncle said rather cheerily. Jackie scowled to himself as he began to rip at his scales in an attempt get them off.

"Urgh…" Jade said with a horrified look. "Did the antidote work?" she asked. Uncle didn't answer, only looked at her, before they turned back to look at Jackie who was pulling off the last of his skin on his hand and noticed that the stone didn't come off with it. He shrugged –

Suddenly, he began to contort and seemed to have a fit, and Valerie thought he was going to grow another layer of scaly skin. But instead, they all watched with growing dread as another of Jackie's fingers turned to stone.

"Guess not," Jade said miserably.

"Don't worry," Valerie murmured as she reached over to place a comforting hand on Jade's shoulder. "Uncle will find a way,"

"He would much faster if Valerie did her work and researched!" Uncle glared over his shoulder at them as he tapped away at Jackie's new stone finger curiously.

"I'm working on it!" she retorted.

"Well, maybe Captain Black could get the doctors at Section 13 to help," Jade murmured hopefully, desperately.

"Modern medicine has no power over ancient spells," Uncle told her. "I will make another antidote,"

As Uncle walked away to get back to his vials and pots of different brews and ingredients at his desk, Valerie saw Jade slump with defeat and misery. All at once, Valerie knew she hated seeing the girl look so depressed, she knew that hope was the one thing that keep the girl from despairing and start mourning her beloved uncle before he even left.

"Uncle's right, Jade," Valerie murmured to her softly as the girl looked at her with shining eyes. "Captain Black doesn't even believe in the magic talismans. The doctors won't know what to do. Our best hope is for Uncle to come through and make an antidote, and I have every faith in him,"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Uncle pause in his work for a moment, looking over his shoulder at them, before going back to his project silently.

* * *

An hour later, Valerie was still sitting in her chair with books piled around her, a dull headache throbbing in her temples as she tried to concentrate on the words on the page, even this late at night. A pit of despair was yawning ever wider within her chest the longer she carried on, but refused to let herself give up. She coughed as she felt a tickle at the back of her throat, her chest aching as she threatened to cough up a lung.

And yet, for all her researching it was no use, she had as of yet not come across any page that described Jackie's affliction or any way to stop it from getting worse. And Uncle's antidotes were not faring any better than the first. Eventually, Uncle needed room and Jackie was tired of the constant experiments and so had gone for a stroll not too long ago, Jade had gone with him, looking to be on the point of tears as she hurriedly followed him though he did not notice.

Valerie sighed, wishing she could –

Suddenly, Jade burst into the room, jogging over to Valerie and grabbing her hand as she pulled her up.

"Come on, Val! We got to go now!" she said as she tugged on the woman's arm.

"Jade? What are you –" Valerie squawked in alarm but was hushed when Jade winked at her.

"Did you forget again? Jackie wants you to babysit me tonight, what with all of Uncle's work. Come on, the car to Section 13 is waiting outside!" Jade made a tiny gesture with her head, eyes widening so Valerie could see the way the girl looked pointedly at the door.

Very confused yet unable to deny the young girl, Valerie allowed Jade to pull her along to the outside of the shop and climbed into the car that was waiting for them. They drove silently to Section 13, and Valerie kept on shooting glances at Jade, who didn't speak a word, appearing to be bored as she looked out the window. It wasn't until Valerie followed Jade through Section 13 all the way up to Jade and Jackie's room, when the child closed the door behind them, that Valerie raised an eyebrow at her suspiciously.

"Jade," she said in a low voice. "You have five seconds to tell me what the hell is going on,"

"You and I are going to save Jackie," the girl said in a voice just above a whisper.

"What? How are we going to do that?"

"By making the trade with the Dark Hand,"

"WHAT?!" Valerie half shrieked, before Jade jumped up and clamped a hand over her mouth. Jade's eyes were wide and pleading and panicked, as if she feared the whole of Section 13's agents would be upon them. But it was only after a moment when only silence rained down on them that Jade sighed in relief and let go. "Jade!" Valerie hissed in a whisper. "What on earth are you talking about?! We can't give the Dark Hand the Talismans!"

"We have to Valerie," Jade pleaded quietly, her eyes bright and shining again. "Valmont's the only one with a working antidote –"

"Or so he claims," Valerie added.

"But that's more of a shot then what Uncle's doing! Uncle's antidote might not be ready in time, and Jackie's gonna be a statue unless we do something!"

"Jade… don't you remember what happened when Valmont had the Dragon Talisman? Or when your body was possessed?" Valerie said softly, trying to make Jade understand. "Think of what could happen if the Dark Hand got hold of all the others,"

"And think of what would happen if Jackie turned to stone completely!" the girl said passionately. "He'll die! I can't let that happen! Val, he's your friend, can't we at least try to save him?"

Valerie thought about it for a moment. She thought about the bruises she had suffered when Valmont had attacked her, the fear of that much power wielded by a bad person was something truly terrifying to behold. She still hadn't told Jackie or Captain Black of Valmont's office since she'd learned that Valmont knew where she lived and was close to ordering her assassination. She'd been scared out of her wits – and she still was – but she'd still done all she could to help Jackie from the Dark Hand snatching the other talismans. Would that work all be for nothing now? But what of Jackie? He was her friend, absolutely, and would it be cowardice to stick to Uncle's methods that could very well come too late? Or was it murder to have Jackie die when he became a full statue? The thought of letting Jackie die made her feel queasy, and she knew she couldn't let that happen, he wouldn't for her.

"Fine," she sighed in defeat. "What do we do?"

"Yes!" Jade beamed. "They finished building the Vault, so all of the Talismans are now stored there: heavily guarded and almost impenetrable!"

"So how are we going to get them all out?" Valerie asked sceptically.

"Leave that to me," Jade smirked. "You just meet me at the Vault in five minutes!" Jade made to run past her, but Valerie quickly snatched at the girl's shoulder, forcing her to look at the older woman.

"Whoa, wait!" she murmured. "You do realise that this is the Dark Hand? They will try to double cross us,"

"I'm hoping it won't come to that," Jade muttered. "Give them the talismans, then they give us the antidote. Simple."

"I don't think so… we need a backup plan, just in case," Valerie said as she eyed the first aid kit on the wall. "Do you still have that orange pop you like?" she asked the girl suddenly.

"Yeah in the fridge, why?"

"Just in case,"

* * *

It was approaching six o'clock in the morning when Valerie and Jade made their way to the old tower, climbing the many stairs as they made their way towards the top. Valerie was in the lead, a cricket bat held firmly in her hands – her new replacement for her baseball bat since it had been blasted apart by Valmont. Her pockets bulged with a syringe and a small can of orange soda; she hoped for a plan b, that she could fake the look of a poison with the soda. Jade came up behind her carrying the bag filled with all the talismans that they had collected so far. Valerie still didn't know how the little girl had managed to pull it off, according to her the vault had been sealed with a key card, passcode and laser sensors, and yet somehow Jade had managed to get them all with not a scratch. Valerie didn't know if that was a point to Jade or a minus point to Section 13 that a child could beat their security system.

They were approaching the top, when they could hear the voice of the enforcers, who all sounded miserable and as sick as Valerie.

"Valmont had to pick the draughtiest place in town," Valerie heard Finn shiver.

"Should've called in sick," Ratso mumbled. "Can I borrow a tissue?"

"Alright you sicko's," Jade said as she and Valerie came to the top of the stairs, glaring at the enforcers in as menacing a show as they could muster as the enemy turned to look at them. "Let's get down to business,"

All of the enforcers burst into fits of laughter.

"Isn't it past your bedtime?" chuckled Finn.

"I'd listen to the girl if I were you," Valerie said in the most threatening voice she could muster despite the croak in her voice, striking her cricket bat against the ground so that it thudded loudly. The Dark Hand's laughter instantly died as they all glared at Valerie.

"Oh come on, where's Chan?" Ratso grumbled.

"Never mind him," Jade said, slipping off her rucksack from her shoulders as she carefully opened the bag to reveal the talismans within. "I've got everything you want right here… Well?" she prompted when the enforcers just stared at her, as if waiting for her to make the first move.

Valerie's eyes widened as a gigantic Japanese man brushed past the other enforcers in order to stand at the front of them as he radiated authority. He was ten feet away from them, but he was still so massive that his shadow still came close to falling over them. Valerie felt her heart skip a beat in fear as her knees shook with her resolve.

"Oh… my… Jade, you said nothing about taking on a giant," Valerie hissed to the girl beside her, not taking her eyes off of the giant man before them.

"I am Tohru," the man growled at her in a deep voice. "Now, the Talismans," he held out a hand demandingly.

"The antidote first!" Jade retorted as she pulled her bag behind her back protectively. Tohru glared at them both, and Valerie had to wet her parched lips as her nerves began to get to her, making her hands shake. The Japanese man help up a small vial of green liquid between his massive fingers. Jade looked at Valerie, who gave her a serious look, trying to get the hint across that this may be the double-cross they had talked about. "How do I know that antidote is the real deal?" Jade asked testily.

"What choice do you have?" Finn sneered.

"You want the talismans? Then prove it," Valerie glared at the man, who faltered.

Tohru remained silent, even as he opened his palm to reveal a tiny stone bug in his palm. He opened the vial, and poured only a single drop onto it. Instantly, the bug shed its stone skin and came alive once more, buzzing around the room frantically before flying into the open air outside. Valerie still had her mouth open in amazement as Jade turned back to Tohru.

"That'll work," she muttered.

"AAACCHHOOO!" Tohru bellowed as he sneezed, snot and spit going everywhere.

"Bless you," Valerie muttered with a slightly disgusted look on her face.

"Thanks," Tohru mumbled, before regaining his self-control and glaring at the pair before him. "Now, the Talismans,"

Valerie escorted Jade closer, fingers twitching to tighten her grip on the cricket bat as they came closer to the hulking man. Both he and Jade held out their respective offerings, Talismans and antidote about to be switched carers, when Valerie saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She tensed, automatically thinking it was a Dark Hand set up, but was astonished to see Jackie racing to the top of the stairs, and turning to look at her and Jade with fear.

"JADE! DON'T!" He yelled. Jade gasped and she and Tohru looked over at Jackie as they noticed him enter for the first time – just as Jackie's nose turned to stone.

"I have to Jackie," Jade told him miserably. "You're running out of time,"

Valerie only saw it because she looked over at the girl with such pity and sympathy, that she was able to see the glint in Tohru's eyes, the little flicker before his muscles tensed and he lunged. Valerie gave a wordless shriek of terror as she launched herself forward and grabbed the back of Jade's orange hoodie and wrenched her back towards her. The giant managed to miss snatching up the little girl as Valerie threw them backwards towards safety, but his hand did manage to snag on the rucksack, and he pulled it from Jade's grasp with a hint of triumph.

"Thank you," he smirked.

"No!" Jackie yelled as he ran forward, but tripped and fell as his whole leg turned to stone. The enforcers all cackled with laughter, that all developed into hacking coughs and wheezes. Valerie released Jade as the girl ran to her Uncle's side, a look of absolute terror and desperation in her little face. Valerie was slower to get up as she looked at the enforcers with absolute hate. She reached into her back pocket slowly, so as not to be noticed, her heart beating at a million miles an hour as she doubted for a brief moment whether her plan would work. But then she looked over at Jackie, and his stone leg, an new idea forming in her mind… She made her way over to Jackie and Jade, helping Jackie to stand as she supported him, watching Tohru carefully as he counted up the Talismans in the bag, eyes widening slightly after a moment before he turned to glare at Jackie and Jade.

"One is missing!" he growled angrily.

"No way!" Jade shook her head in obvious denial. "I cleared out the vault – oops!" she clamped her hands over her mouth as she turned with wide eyes to Valerie. "I forgot the horse one at Uncle's!" she whispered in horror, before turning back to Tohru with pleading eyes. "Erm, if you give me the antidote, I really for sure promise to get you the other one! Scouts honour?" she mumbled.

"Like she's a scout," Finn scoffed.

Tohru held out the antidote at arm's length, a merciless look on his face as he –

"WAIT!" Valerie's voice rang out through the room, causing everyone to pause and look at her expectantly. Without thinking, Valerie snatched out the needle from her back pocket and before he could do anything, Valerie struck it into Jackie's arm.

"OW!" Jackie yelped.

"Sorry," she whispered as she pulled on the plunger, withdrawing some blood into the syringe as she pulled out the needle and hastily stepped back from Jackie so that she was out of reach of everyone and held up the needle, resting the tip against her jugular, her heartbeat racing at a million miles an hour with fear at the threat resting upon her throat. "Give the girl the antidote. Now." She ordered.

"What is she doing?" Chow asked in a bored tone. Valerie tried to steel herself as her resolve faltered; she had to gain control of the situation, or she, Jade and certainly Jackie were doomed!

"In this syringe is Jackie's blood which is intoxicated with the venom Valmont placed in him," Valerie said, her voice trying to sound calm and deadly, though it came off as angry and pleading like a child begging for a toy. "I'm gonna take a guess that the molecules of the toxin reach a certain maturity after a length of time in their host. So I'm guessing that seeing as Jackie is at the near fatal stage, should I inject it into me, then it will put me at the same stage as Jackie, correct?"

The uneasy silence was her answer.

"Thought so," she muttered. "If you don't hand over that antidote, then I'll-I'll…" she faltered slightly, trying to swallow past the sudden lump in her throat. "I'll inject this into me and become a statue like Jackie,"

"And… why should we care?" Finn shrugged.

"Listen! I know that I'm valuable to SOMEONE you work for!" she cried desperately, trying to use anything and everything she could to make this work, trying to repress a sickly cough. "Someone who doesn't want me to end up as a rock! So why don't you phone your boss, see what he says when you tell him,"

All the enforcers looked at each other uneasily.

"Do it," Tohru growled. Jumping, Finn quickly brought out his phone and punched in a number. Valerie could feel Jackie and Jade's eyes upon her but she did her best to ignore them, keeping the needle pressed against her vein though not piercing the skin.

"Err, Big V," Finn said nervously to the camera on his video call. "We kind of have a situation…"

"Do you have the Talismans?" came the voice of Valmont.

"Yeah, and the antidote… but their driving a threat if we don't give it to them…" Finn said uneasily.

"What could they possibly do? If you have the talismans _and _the antidote, then they have nothing left to bargain with!" Valmont growled out angrily, and slowly, Finn turned the phone so that the screen was facing Valerie. She couldn't see the screen clearly, but she thought she saw the fuzzy outline of Valmont behind his desk on the screen as he looked at her: standing alone with the needle pressed against her throat.

"That's Chan's toxic blood in the –" Finn went on to explain, but all of a sudden, an unearthly screech blasted from the speakers of the phone, so loud that the sound actually began to distort.

"STOP HER YOU FOOLS!" came a raspy yet screeching voice that screamed so loudly with anger and outrage that Valerie had to wince when her poor eardrums protested.

It all happened so fast that Valerie was unable to stop it. As she winced from the awful sound, Tohru pocketed the antidote, threw the bag of talismans at Chow and came charging across the space between them towards her with a furious snarl – much faster then she would have anticipated, considering the weight of a man his size. Valerie just had enough time to screech as she twisted away from Tohru, but his arms came around her and snagged at her waist, hoisting her up into the air and pressing her against him in an unforgiving bear-hug that threatened to crush her ribs.

"Let her go!" cried Jade as she ran up to Tohru and began to try and kick and jump at him, though her efforts were like that of an annoying fly compared to the big brute as he stoically ignored her. Valerie kicked and struggled, trying to at least free her arm as she tried to defy her captor. She saw Jackie try to hobble his way over, but Finn, Ratso and Chow came running at him with sickly grins on their faces.

"Jackie!" Valerie yelped out a warning.

Jackie turned in time to see Chow reach him first, aiming a punch for his ribs. There was a loud "CLUNK" sound, and Chow suddenly recoiled, clutching his hand as he yelped in agony. Jackie gave a confused frown as he lifted up the corner of his sweater, revealing that his whole torso had been turned to stone. Valerie felt sick as she could count the seconds ticking by. Her terror and desperation made her struggles all the more frantic.

Finn, Chow and Ratso tried to rush Jackie at once, but he used his stone leg for balance as he quickly punched Chow in the jaw, sending the man back, dazed, whilst he pivoted and kicked Finn into the air as he then grabbed him and sent him flying head over heels. Jackie managed to back Ratso against a wall as he shuffled after the man, but just as he was swinging, Valerie watched his arm turn to stone, smashing a hole into the wall as Ratso ducked.

"Ow! Ow… Err," Jackie paused as he looked at his new stone fist. "Actually that doesn't hurt at all," he mused.

"Put her down you big bully!" Jade cried, making Valerie look down in panic to see the little girl climbing up Tohru's leg. The big man gave a grunt of annoyance, but shook his leg. Jade screeched as she tried to hold on, but was shook loose and was sent flying across the room, tumbling and rolling on the floor with a groan.

"Jade!" Valerie screeched.

"Jackie!" came the sound of a familiar voice, and all heads turned for a fraction of a second to the stairs. Valerie felt her heart leap for joy as she beheld the sight of Uncle.

"Uncle!" Jade cheered happily.

"You found the antidote?" Jackie grinned hopefully as he sent Finn flying with a punch from his stone hand.

"No," Uncle slumped before fishing something out of his pocket. "But I brought the horse talisman to trade for _their_ antidote," he smiled.

Valerie's heart sank. Both Jade and Jackie groaned in unison.

"One MORE thing," Uncle said a little cheerily. "I also brought the antidotes that did not work, maybe if I mix them together…"

"GET IT!" Tohru roared.

"AIIEEEYYYAAA!" Uncle screeched as Ratso plucked the talisman from his hands. And then, he promptly sneezed on it, Valerie thought she saw the Talisman begin to light up, and her stomach twisted with fear at what power it might grant –

"Gesundheit," Jade said as she jumped into the air and plucked it straight from Ratso's hands. before he could grab her, she quickly threw it into the air to Jackie, who caught it deftly in one hand.

"The Dark Hand will never have all twelve –" he stopped as convulsions suddenly seized him, and Valerie felt Tohru chuckle as he squeezed her. Valerie, Jade and Uncle all watched in horror as slowly, from the toes up, Jackie completely turned to stone.

"NO!" Jade screamed, tears in her eyes.

"A dollar says his hand'll snap right off," Ratso grinned.

"Deal!" the others chimed as they raced towards the new statue man.

"You stay away from him!" the girl cried furiously, tears pouring down her face as she stood protectively in front of her Uncle.

"TWO more things…" Uncle said angrily from behind the enforcers, who turned to look at the old man curiously.

Uncle poured the beaker of one of his "antidotes" onto Ratso and Finn, instantly turning them into scaly men. The men coughed from the stinking scent, backing up from him as they wiped at their eyes. But then, they turned to face each other, and screamed at what they saw, running away from the other… straight into a stone column, knocking them both out. At the same time, Chow tried to charge Uncle, who produced a sprayer, and blasted the man into the air with a small explosion and a flash of flame. Chow collapsed where he fell, the bag of Talismans falling from his pocket.

But Valerie couldn't concentrate on any of it. She was in shock, denial racing through her brain; she couldn't believe it… Jackie… was dead?

_No! _She thought furiously as tears burned in her eyes. She refused to believe it! Jackie was always so good and loving and wonderful, there had to be a way to save him, there had to be! Desperately, furiously, Valerie looked back at Tohru, who was watching Jackie with a sick grin that would probably haunt her nightmares for weeks, but he wasn't paying attention to her… and his neck was very exposed.

Taking her first impulse, Valerie sank her teeth into Tohru's neck.

The big man screamed as she bit him with as much force as she could muster, sinking her teeth into his flesh until she could taste blood bubbling into her mouth, making her feel sick as her stomach flipped in revulsion. The initial shock of the pain was the only opportunity she had, as Tohru flinched, his arms relaxing their hold only slightly, not completely letting her go, but just enough for her to wriggle one arm free and press the point of the needle to the side of his head. Tohru instantly froze, and Valerie unhooked her teeth from his neck as she glared at him.

"Put me down and give me the antidote," she growled furiously, with more emotional despair then anger, but she didn't care. "Or I will turn you into that," she gestured over to Jackie's statue.

Ever so slowly, making no sudden moves, Tohru gently placed her on the ground, unhooking his arms even though Valerie kept the needle pressed against the side of his face.

"Now, the antidote," she prompted, and Tohru faithfully produced the little green vial from his pocket and Valerie plucked it from him. "Jade!" she called as she threw it to the girl, who caught it and quickly poured the entire thing on Jackie's stone face.

There was a long moment where everyone held their breath; a soft cracking sound could be heard, like the breaking of ice. Everyone: Valerie, Jade, Uncle and even Tohru all watched in quiet fascination and apprehension as they saw the greyness in the statue's skin begin to fade, and all thoughts in Valerie's mind were all centred on the one question: was he still alive? Even with the antidote, would he simply collapse on the floor in front of them? She remembered the insect Tohru had showed them, but was it the same? She watched, unable to look away as the colour slowly returned to Jackie's body…

And he gasped. Valerie could have wept for joy, as she saw him take in a huge breath, a tentative smile spreading across his usual goofy face as he wiggled his fingers experimentally. Valerie beamed, Jade as well, Uncle smiled fondly and Jackie grinned at them all.

"Hey!" Jackie said cheerfully, grinning from ear to ear. But then, his eyes locked on Toru, who was still hunched over with Valerie pressing the needle against the side of his face. His expression darkened into something fierce as he held up his fist into a battle stance. "Hey."

Jackie leapt into the air, yelling a battle cry as he aimed a flying kick straight for Tohru. Valerie yelped as she had only just enough time to throw herself out of the way as Jackie hit Tohru so hard he was sent recoiling backwards, and teetered on the edge of the stairs. He wobbled, arms wind milling in an attempt to keep his balance, but didn't keep it. The giant man fell backwards, folding into a ball as he fell down the long spiralling stairs, grunting with pain as he went down, down, down, like a bowling ball all the way to the bottom. A loud crash echoed up from the bottom of the tower to say that Tohru was done for, at least for now.

"Jackie!" Jade cried happily, leaping onto her uncle and wrapping her arms around him.

"The cure was obtained by using the affliction… hmm, sounds like a Chinese proverb," Uncle mused aloud as he came up to Jackie with the bag of Talismans.

Jackie then looked over at Valerie, who was standing off to the side, feeling overjoyed and yet rather awkward at the same time, as if she were intruding on the family moment. Her eyes met Jackie's, and in them, he saw her fear, anxiety, and yet she was still here. He smiled at her, and came over to her, his eyes never leaving hers as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest in a brotherly embrace. Valerie squeaked in surprise, taken aback by the contact, but only after a moment's hesitation did she return the hug, wrapping her arms around his chest as she put her cheek against his shoulder comfortingly, allowing all the stress of the night to wash out of her.

"Thank you," Jackie murmured to her softly. "For everything,"

"What are friends for?" Valerie murmured into his shoulder.

"No, I mean it," Jackie said as he pulled back and held her at arm's length by her shoulders. "You are a good friend, Valerie,"

"Thanks," she whispered, trying to ignore the tears that stung her eyes.

"Yes…" came Uncle's slow murmur, and both Jackie and Valerie turned to see the old man coming close. Valerie folded her arms, beginning to feel awkward again as she shuffled her feet and looked at the floor. "Valerie," Uncle said to her, his tone like that of a parent who expected to be looked at when listened to; and slowly, Valerie made her eyes meet his. "I may be old and stubborn, but even I can see something for what it is worth. You risked your life for my family. And I realise that things are not the same with you gone,"

"Wait…" Valerie croaked, unable to comprehend what she was hearing. "Are you giving me my job back?"

"Of course I am, shop is getting dirty!" Uncle yelled, though there was a slight grin on his face. "And… I am sorry," he added softly.

"Me too," she whispered as she placed a comforting hand on the old man's shoulder. "But can I have today off? Because I'm shattered,"

They all chuckled warmly.

"So, what do you reckon this little baby does?" Jade asked as she flipped the horse talisman in her fingers.

"Don't know," Valerie said as she plucked the talisman out of the air, mid flip, and held it up to her face to look at the inscriptions on the back, sniffing past her blocked nose. "Maybe it's one we're not meant to –"

Her words were cut off, when the talisman suddenly lit up, blinding Valerie for a moment as she ducked her head away, feeling a sense of warmth spread through her from her fingers, as a rush of energy filled her up. And then, just as quickly, the light faded, as did the feeling of power inside of her. Valerie looked over herself and in the area around her: she wasn't glowing, there was no sign of destruction nor that anything had changed. The others were looking at her expectantly, but she breathed a mystified sigh as she –

Breathed. She breathed… _clearly_?

"Hey…" she said slowly, and then realised that her voice was clear. She took in more deep breaths, but there was no rattle in her lungs, no need to cough her guts up. "My cold is gone!" she grinned.

"What?" Jackie and Jade frowned.

"Yeah, it's suddenly gone… like magic," she slowly looked down to look at the talisman in her fingers, a sense of fascination dawning within her.

"'The noble horse expels all alien forces within…'" Uncle murmured thoughtfully.

"It doesn't mean alien forces _in_ the talisman," Jade said, clearly on the same thought. "It meant the alien forces in the person _holding_ the talisman!"

"The horse is a _healing_ talisman!" Uncle said with a growing grin.

"Cool little first aid kit," Valerie grinned.

"Now," Jackie said as he turned to give a look to Jade. "We have some talismans to return,"

"I've got some explaining to do, huh…" Jade murmured, looking at the floor guiltily.

"We'll just tell Captain Black," Jackie told her with an affectionate smile. "That we were between a rock and a hard place," he laughed at his own joke, though Jade did not look impressed.

* * *

Why was Shendu even surprised this time at the Dark Hand's failure? All they had had to do was exchange a potion for a bag of Talismans, how was that so difficult? How could they make such a mess out of something so simple? But then of course, he knew his answer: not only were the Dark Hand outrageously incompetent, but it seemed that they had underestimated his enemies.

Namely, his Other.

Shendu couldn't fathom how he had lost control of himself when Valmont had been on the video call to his enforcers. Upon seeing the threat of Valerie turning herself to stone, he couldn't describe the torrent of emotion that had blasted through him; he'd panicked and risked revealing himself to Chan and the others, but he didn't care. If Valerie died, he would lose a great deal of potential power, something he could not afford. He hadn't needed it before, he could still conquer this world without her, but now that that power was on offer for him to take, he couldn't deny his need to have it. It was almost rather worrying at the feeling of being completed, and yet not, they were not properly connected as of yet, therefore he could only have that power when she touched him. But how to make it permanent?

Shendu was also rather impressed, for Valerie had shown herself to be a rather resourceful woman. Not to mention brave, intelligent and loyal. He was rather proud that his Other was such a capable one, not completely pointless as he'd found most humans to be.

Yet the demon had to admit, she was getting in the way of his plans. The Chinese New Year was only a month away, and Shendu needed to be free _before _then. So sooner or later he would need to collect his new property, so that she was out of the way of his plans, and yet close at hand to give him that power he so desired. But now, he was brought back to his earlier question: how to bind her to him in order to have that power no matter how far apart they were? The simple answer was a binding spell, that way they were connected and Shendu could lock her away where she would be safe from harm but out of his way… but for some reason that thought didn't sit well with him. So what to do now?

* * *

**Author's Note: So I hope everyone enjoyed the latest Chapter! As you can see, I do change things slightly, I want my OC to have some impact on the story. ;) The next chapter you're going to have to wait for as these 5 chapters were already written up but now I need to continue to write up the next chapters. But hopefully the next update will be very soon!**

**A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed, your support means a lot to me! And don't forget to review this chapter as well!**


	6. The Lost Daughter

The Lost Daughter

* * *

"My patience wears thin, Valmont," Shendu growled out threateningly at the human before him. "Every moment spent in this stone encasement is an eternity lost!" he shouted as he reached the end, unable to hold his temper as his eyes shone to almost a blinding brilliance. He had been on edge the past few days, his anger more reinforced what with most of his talismans out of his reach and the fact that he was stuck with _buffoons_ as minions!

"I assure you, Shendu," Valmont said stoically in an attempt to sooth the riled stone dragon before him, which only served to make Shendu all the more infuriated. "My men are spending every waking moment searching for your Talismans,"

"Aw, come on! I wanna see the baseball scores," came the voice of Ratso as he and Finn entered the office with a newspaper in hand as they squabbled over it. Shendu glared over Valmont's shoulder at the proof against the human's words, even as the criminal boss winced slightly and turned to glare at his enforcers, who didn't see as they were too engrossed in the paper.

"Ah-ah!" Finn snapped as he tried to keep the newspaper away from his friend. "Not till I check out Stewie Cabloie, he's da bomb!" Finn grinned to himself, and failed to notice Ratso reach over him and pluck the newspaper from his hand. As he did this, Shendu thought he saw something on it, something he had never thought to see in this era.

"You two!" Shendu barked, causing the enforcers to freeze as their eyes slowly met Shendu's, and he could hear their heart beats begin to race. Oh, how he missed being able to rip humans apart when they displeased him, their screams were most soothing to his ever constant anger issues. "Come closer…" he ordered.

"Uh-oh," Ratso mumbled fearfully as they came close to the desk, and noticeably within roasting distance should Shendu chose to blast them with his fire.

"Show me the parchment…" Shendu ordered as he was already casting a hard stare at the object in question. Ratso seemed taken aback, before offering the demon the back of the newspaper with a curious look.

"You a Giant's fan Shendu?" the burly man asked as he showed the sports articles.

"_ARGH_!" Shendu snarled with impatience. "Turn. It. _Over!_" Ratso was almost shaking as he turned the newspaper back the right way and cowered behind it as he showed Shendu the front page. There! Shendu saw it, the picture that had grabbed his attention: Lo Pei. He felt seething hatred rile through him as he glared at the picture, as if he could claw the real man apart for what he had done to him.

"What, the hair-plugs add?" Ratso asked stupidly.

"The statue of Lo Pei…" Shendu hissed.

"Ha! You wanna see Lo Pei, you should check out my salary!" Finn grinned, before looking over at Ratso. "Get it? Low–Pay?"

"Fools!" Shendu hissed at them, causing them to freeze in place as they looked at him. "Lo Pei was the Chi Warrior who scattered my Talismans to the four corners of the Earth, and turned _me_ into a statue." He explained, once again losing himself in memories of that wretched day.

"Well I guess somebody did the same to him, huh?" Ratso said thoughtfully as he studied the picture on the newspaper.

"What goes around comes around?" Finn added quickly.

"No, that is simply a statue, made of terracotta." Shendu murmured, though he couldn't help but smirk at the idea of Lo Pei suffering the same fate as he. What sweet justice would that be for Shendu? He was lost in such a delightful thought that he almost didn't notice Valmont snatch the paper and read the article studiously.

"Who's leggings bear inscriptions…" he read aloud.

"Ahh…" Shendu said, clearly on the same thought track as Valmont, and he would have grinned if he could. "Which may provide precious clues as to the whereabouts of the remaining talismans," How lucky could he be for the ancient fool to leave a map to the talismans for anyone to read, including the Demon-Sorcerer. He then brought his attention back to Finn and Ratso as he ordered them: "Bring the terracotta warrior to me,"

* * *

"You did _WHAT?!_" Valerie shrieked as she looked down at Jade with huge eyes.

"Okay, I _swear_ it wasn't my fault!" Jade said hurriedly, clearly panicked. "I came racing home and it was in the middle of the shop! I swear I didn't do it on purpose!"

"My _first_ day back and already I'm done for?! You guys don't understand the meaning of normal, I swear!" Valerie was in shock, she couldn't comprehend what was happening, her mind was struggling to understand what had happened. How could this be?!

Valerie had been in the museum in order to try and find inspiration for her next university paper on the ancient Huns of Mongolia. Whilst there, she had seen a new exhibit, a Chinese statue of terracotta of a man named 'Lo Pei', interested, Valerie had listened to the spokeswoman as she gave a little history on the statue, how it was made hundreds of years ago in honour of a great warrior of ancient china and who supposedly travelled the four corners of the earth. It was whilst looking at the statue that Valerie had noticed inscriptions on the legs of the statue… inscriptions she recognised from all of Uncle's books. She had immediately contacted Jackie so that he might somehow come and see the inscriptions for Uncle to study, they might hold clues to how to find the other Talismans if Valerie's hunch was correct! But Jackie had done better. Due to his good relationship with the museum as an archaeologist, he managed to get the statue on loan for a day so that he and Uncle might right down the inscriptions and translate them. Valerie had been practically ecstatic at the hope of getting hands on with a piece of history as she had always dreamed of, but she had only gone to the back room in order to find more books to offer translation… and then she'd heard an almighty crash. She came back into the room a second later and found Jade huddled over a pile of rubble on the floor where the statue had once been. It had taken all of Valerie's willpower not to scream or faint!

"Oh… broken statue…" Jackie mumbled as he seemed a paler shade of white as he paced back and forth across the shop.

"Sorry!" Jade whimpered.

"Broken statue!" he said again.

"Sorry."

"Broken statue!"

"Sorry!"

"Jasmine tea to calm the nerves," Uncle said as he came into the room carrying a tray of cups and teapot.

"Thanks!" Valerie whispered as she snatched at a cup and down it in one, ignoring the way it burned her tongue and she could feel it sweep down her throat, igniting a fire all the way to her stomach. Jackie opened the top of the tea pot in order to look gloomily at the tea leaves swirling within.

"Yes, I can see my future in the tea leaves…" he muttered dryly. "The museum contacts the University," he said as he began to count off his fingers. "And my career winds up like that statue: Ruined! – Ow!" he yelped when Uncle slapped him with two fingers.

"Your career NOT IMPORTANT!" the old man yelled. "Now we will never read the inscriptions…" he said in a dark and foreboding tone. "Knowledge has been lost forever!" he wailed, then stopped as a thoughtful look crossed his face. "Must call my insurance agent, see if I'm covered for this…"

"This isn't happening – this isn't happening – this isn't happening!" Valerie whimpered to herself as she sat herself down by the stairs and began to rock back and forth.

"Er… Val?" Jade asked nervously. "You alright?"

"Alright?!" the woman shrieked as if frightened. "Do you not understand? We would need to pay what that statue cost – more than all of our salaries combined ten times over! _I _was the one who told Jackie about it and had it brought here! The statue is broken! If the University finds out that I was with you when it was broken – God! This isn't happening!" she buried her head in her hands.

"Look," Jade said as if it were no big deal. "All we gotta do is figure out which pieces go where, like a big jigsaw puzzle," she then grabbed two pieces of the statue at random and tried to fit them together, adding two other pieces to it. The pieces didn't match, and hastily fell back down. She looked helplessly at Jackie. "I'm just trying to help!"

"I think you've _helped_ enough already!" he snapped.

"It's not like I meant it!" she pleaded.

"Jade," Valerie said a little sternly. "Sometimes it's not about whether you meant it. Because whether you did or not, we're still in this mess! It'll take a miracle to get us out of this now!" she stormed into the kitchen after Jackie, meaning to get another cup of tea to calm her frantically beating heart, though her tongue still tingled from the burn of the last cup. Yet, if Valerie had stayed in the room just a little longer, she would have noticed a sudden spark in Jade's eyes.

But even after another two cups of tea, Valerie still felt the wings of panic beating in her chest, causing a wind of anxiety to race through her veins. Jackie even wondered if she should go and have a lie down, she was getting so wound up. But no, Valerie could remember feeling this before, when she would break something as a child and feared her father's reaction – or worse her mother's when she was visiting her in Toronto. S from experience, Valerie knew that there was nothing else for it. There was only one solution: binge read.

Valerie loved books, they helped to take her consciousness off to another place, what she called her mind palace, where her imagination was free to roam and where she could easily envision the words on a book as if they were the true reality. In her mind palace, her body became completely relaxed and she was able to focus her energies on something other than whatever was bothering her. It was the reason why books became her best friends whilst growing up, when she had no friends at school, or daddy was forced to work late at the station. However, Valerie had not brought any books with her to the store today, literally being in a hurry to get out of the door after sleeping in past her alarm clock seeing as she had been up all night the night before saving Jackie. So, she simply went into the back room and plucked a random book from one of Uncle's shelves. His book collection was in bad need of a sort out, and Valerie mentally made note that _she_ would have to do it at some point soon. Settling down onto the armchair, Valerie did her best to settle into her mind palace and lose herself. As she read, Valerie had to admit that Uncle had a weird sense of book genres, she would have thought him to be a non-fictional-historical man, yet she was reading an old book on magical demons. She read for an hour, absorbing the text as she lost herself and slowly calmed as she read through the ridiculous book that talked about demon-sorcerers banished to a form of hell, even the different types that were banished.

"JACKIE!" she suddenly heard Uncle shout, jarring out of her mind palace with a jolt. Valerie came rushing out of the back room as Jackie leapt down the stairs two at a time.

"Uncle?" he asked worriedly.

"Broken statue is missing…" Uncle murmured, mystified as he indicated to the floor, for indeed, the statue – or whatever had been left of it – was gone.

"But how?!" Jackie asked. "The Dark Hand?"

"They wanted the inscriptions too!" Valerie gasped.

There was a loud "BANG" as the door was flung open, and everyone turned to see the three Dark Hand enforcers looking mean and angry in the doorway.

"We know you got the statue, Jackson," Finn said as he pointed an accusing finger at Jackie. "Where is it?"

"It's…" Jackie tried to say, but Valerie could see that he was struggling.

"Missing –" "– Broken." Jackie and Uncle said at the same time. They looked at each other in quiet panic. Valerie face-palmed, as she slowly edged along the wall, trying to go unnoticed as she shifted towards where her cricket bat that was leaning against the counter.

"Broken –" "– Missing." Jackie and Uncle said again desperately trying to go with the others option, but failing miserably.

"You need to get your story straight," Chow growled as he and the others stalked towards them.

"Okay…" Jackie said as he and Uncle backed up, looking over his shoulder at Valerie, who looked as nervous as he was now with her bat just out of reach. Jackie's eyes then caught on the tea pot on the counter. "But first… tea!"

He flung the tea pot, and Ratso caught it in his large hands. He instantly yelped as he juggled the hot tea pot from hand to hand, the pot hissing like a snake as it burned at his skin. He then threw it to Chow, who yelped and quickly threw it to Finn, who began to juggle it as he screeched and threw it away from himself.

"JACKIE!" Uncle screamed in panic. "TEA POT IS ANTIQUE!"

Jackie grabbed the tray as Valerie snatched up her cricket bat and they both charged at the enforcers. Jackie quickly caught the tea pot on the tray and hastily gave it to Uncle, as Valerie charged past him and swung her bat at Ratso's head. However, what she did not foresee, was the big man turning and catching the bat with one hand, stopping its momentum jarringly.

"Can't fool us twice, little missy," Finn sneered.

"Uh-oh." Valerie squeaked. Chow yelled as he kicked her in the stomach, sending Valerie flying as she lay wheezing on the floor, curling into a ball as her body screamed in pain as she tried to regain the breath into her lungs. But Jackie was soon standing over her as he took a flying kicking at Chow with an angry yell, flipping over in order to block Finn and leading up with a strike to the chest to send him flying into the wall. Finn lay dazed for a moment, until his eyes met the antique sword hanging on the wall. All three enforcers grabbed a sword, and Valerie had enough strength to sit herself up next to Uncle's legs as she watched with dread as the three now armed men faced off against a lone Jackie.

"Time to cut to the chase, Chan," Finn said angrily. "And I do mean _cut_!" and they charged.

In a blind panic, Valerie quickly looked around for something, _anything, _that might help… and saw the tray and tea-pot in Uncle's hands.

"Sorry Uncle," Valerie muttered as she stood as fast as she possibly could, and snatched the broiling hot teapot, and threw it at the enforcers. It hit Ratso first, the teapot breaking against his shoulder and the scorching hot contents splattering over him and then splashing onto the other two. It took them a second to realise what had happened, before they started screaming and tried to mop away the hot liquid that was burning them.

"Come on!" Finn shouted to the others as he desperately tried to overcome the pain that left his eyes watering. "Let's get out of here!"

"The statue's not even here!" Ratso yelled pitifully as all three of them ran out of the store. Valerie sagged against the side of the counter, holding her stomach, wincing at the thought that she was definitely going to bruise.

"So if the Dark Hand did not take the broken statue," Uncle said thoughtfully. "Then who?"

"My little _helper_," Jackie said angrily.

"Jade?" Valerie said. "What would she do with the statue? Where would she go?"

"I'm not sure, but I need to find her." Jackie said.

"I'll go to," Valerie said as she brought herself back to her feet. "We can cover more ground if we split up. Knowing Jade, she could be anywhere,"

"I know."

* * *

"Okay humpty-dumpty," Jade smirked as she looked at the pile of rubble she had assembled in her room at Section 13, tossing the horse talisman in her hand triumphantly. "Maybe all the _King's_ horses couldn't put you back together again, but he never had one of these…"

She turned the talisman to the broken statue, activating it and watched as the blaze of late engulfed the rubble and suddenly the pieces of terracotta were assembled once again into a whole statue. Jade felt grinned as she felt like dancing in victory! Oh, she couldn't _wait_to see Jackie's face when he saw how she had resolved this problem all on her own!

"YES!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Jackie will be stoked! Especially if I help Uncle figure out what these chicken scratches say about the talismans…" she said thoughtfully as she looked at the engravings on the legs of the statue. However, she soon realised that despite the fact that she had grown up in Hong Kong, she had not a clue as to what the inscriptions said. "As if," she uttered, before looking at the talisman in her hand, an idea coming to her mind. "So why not get it right from the horse's mouth?"

She quickly disappeared to the vault, getting past all the security systems that were meant to keep her out, yet she always managed to get past. She returned to her room a few minutes later, the rat talisman in hand.

"Motion to the motionless," Jade said thoughtfully as she looked from the talisman to the statue in front of her with a smirk. "Okay rat, do your thing!" she activated the talisman, watching in quiet fascination as the talisman shot towards the statue and seemed to embed itself deep within the chest of the warrior-statue, right where its heart would be. Jade was momentarily blinded by the flash of light, forcing her to shield her eyes. When she looked back however, she was amazed. "YES!"

Before her stood a living and breathing man, definitely Chinese with his high cheekbones and smaller eyes. He had a long dark beard and dark hair that framed his face like a lion's mane. He word green and gold robes with a strange belt strapped around his chest and over one shoulder. The man blinked several times as if he were awakening from sleep, looking at his hands and his surroundings as if in confusion.

"Where am I?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"The real world!" Jade said excitedly, forcing the warrior to look down at her and acknowledge her. "Cool, huh? Now, Talismans pop-quiz time."

"Talismans?" the reanimated warrior demanded as he pointed to her. "What do you know of the –" he stopped as his eyes caught on the horse talisman that was still in Jade's hand. "The horse!"

"Yep." Jade smiled. "Used my little pony here to do a patch job on your… erm… self!" she finished quickly.

"How can this be?" he asked, almost to himself. "As the dandelion scatters its seeds to the four winds, so did I scatter the Talismans to the four corners of the earth." He rumbled in a mysterious voice.

"That was then, and this is Section 13," Jade told him proudly. "Got a mess of 'em right here. Safe and –"

"Here?!" the man asked in almost outrage.

"Well, not _right_ here," Jade stumbled, realising that something was off with the way the warrior was staring at her and the talisman in her hand with a scrutinizing gaze. She made a conscious ffort to hide the talisman behind her back. "Downstairs in the, er, vault –"

"Show me!" the warrior demanded.

"Er… can't." Jade said vaguely, wondering if the man-lost-time would know what she was talking about if she told him the whole truth. "You gotta have clearance to –"

He simply walked past her to the door.

"As the silkworm sense the nearness of the armoured beetle," the warrior said as he walked down the halls of Section 13 to the vault, Jade trailing behind him. "I sense the Talismans are at hand…"

"Not even warm!" Jade said desperately, trying to intercept his path as they came to the vault door. "Oh well! So close! But you need a pass key."

The man didn't even seem fazed as he took a scroll out from his sleeve, and held it in front of him, Jade watching in fascination as the scroll literally levitated in the air, glowing a pulsing green.

"Energy Scroll!" the warrior thundered. And in a blaze of green light, the scroll sent a blast straight for the vault door, completely obliterating it and the second door that led through to the vault interior. Jade's mouth hung open in horror as she watched the warrior calmly walk over the rubble and into the heart of the vault.

"Or one of those…" she squeaked as she hesitantly followed.

"Some are missing!" the warrior exclaimed as he came up to the casing that held the talismans, his eyes widening in alarm as he looked over each and every talisman that Jade and Jackie had gathered so far. "Where is the Dog? The Pig? The Monkey? The Rat?"

"Err…" Jade said nervously. "The Rat's closer than you think. See… when I brought you to life, it kinda got stuck inside your –" she was cut off by a loud crash as the warrior smashed the glassing protecting the talismans, reaching inside to retrieve each and every one.

"I must once again safe guard these," the warrior said calmly, in an almost mystical voice. "Lest the fall into the hands of the _Ultimate Evil._" He whispered the last two words with equal parts horror and hate as his eyes narrowed almost angrily. The warrior then moved aside his beard, and his belt across his chest seemed to flip in place, revealing slots inside of it with perfect talisman holes. Suddenly, the talismans began to glow blue and flew to the warrior's belt to slot themselves inside the holes as if they had just been drawn there by a magnet, even the horse in Jade's hand. When all of them were safely stored away, the warrior's belt flipped again and hid away the talismans from sight.

"Freeze!" somone shouted, and both Jade and the warrior turned in surprise to see two of Section 13's agents training their guns on the ancient warrior. But of course, he had no idea of the danger posed to him, and just narrowed his eyes in determination.

"Yes. You will." He murmured, before turning around and reaching into his sleeves to retrieve another scroll. "Immobiliser Scroll!" he thundered and with a flash of green light, the two agents were suddenly frozen in place, unable to move. Jade gasped in fright, though the warrior merely walked past the two agents calmly. Jade scrambled after him. However, at the other end of the hall, Captain Black and his men were waiting with their guns ready; but upon seeing Jade, Captain Black's eyes widened and he quickly grabbed the shoulder of the nearest agent.

"Hold your fire!" he barked at his agents. "Watch out for the child!"

"Energy Scroll!" the warrior commanded as he withdrew another piece of parchment. For a sickening moment, Jade thought he would direct its blast onto Captain Black. But instead, the green light flashed upwards, blasting apart the ceiling, rubble raining down and leaving a huge hole in the roof that lead straight to the outside world above. In a moment, the warrior had leapt out of the hole and was gone, leaving Captain Black and Jade to watch where he had gone.

Captain Black turned his level stare onto Jade.

She only offered him a nervous smile.

* * *

Valerie and Jackie got the call of Jade's whereabouts not a few minutes later and were quickly on route to Section 13. Upon entering, they soon realised that something very bad had gone down, and followed the commotion to the Vault, where Valerie was unnerved to see that the Vault had been completely blasted open! Inside, Jade was standing by Captain Black, and Valerie felt her blood drain from her face as she noticed the talismans were gone. All of them.

As they approached, Captain Black said something to Jade and made his way to speak to some of his investigators.

"Well, I tried to be of help," Jade was saying somewhat smugly.

"Yes, and I wish you would _stop_ helping!" Jackie said angrily, before turning to look at the empty talisman casing with fear evidently written on his face. "The talismans! How?!"

"Err…" Jade looked from Valerie to Jackie nervously. "You know that broken statue?"

"Lo Pei? Yes?" Valerie encouraged edgily, wondering what on earth Jade could have done to make the situation any worse.

"Well… he's not so broken anymore…" she finished.

"_What_?!" Both Jackie and Valerie blinked in surprise at the same time.

"Don't worry Jackie!" Jade said quickly, hopefully. "I can help!" Jackie glared at her. "Oops. The 'H' word." She mumbled miserably.

"Jade, what exactly happened?" Valerie asked sternly.

"Well, I thought that I could help fix what I broke," Jade began very quickly, making it extremely hard to follow what she was saying. "So I used the horse Talisman to put him back together, but then I thought: why not help you figure out where the talismans are? So I used the rat talisman and now… he's sort of… walking and… talking and…"

"JADE!" Jackie screeched.

"I'm sorry!" she said quickly.

"Why would you do such a thing?!" Valerie gaped.

"I'm sorry!"

"Did you learn _nothing_ from gnome cop?!" Jackie persisted.

"I thought I could help!" she whined.

"Yes, but your help has only made things worse!" Valerie growled out in frustration.

"Please let me help!" the girl begged. "I promise to help set it right, I promise!"

"I think you've done enough!" Jackie snapped. "I will go and try to retrieve the talismans. Valerie will watch you to make sure you don't cause any more trouble."

"But Jackie –"

"No buts!" he said as he walked away.

Valerie resigned herself to babysitting duty, but at least it would keep Jade out of anymore trouble.

_Yeah._ That lasted for all of five minutes.

Valerie had left Jade in the laundry room under the surveillance of Section 13 agents. Captain Black said that Jackie had Jade do chores in order to earn her keep like she would do at home. Valerie had naïvely gone with that plan and let Jade out of her sight for more than a few seconds when she went to go and get a drink. She'd returned to a disaster!

Her jaw had almost hit the floor as she gasped, staring in shock as she saw the laundry room flooded with a tidal wave of bubbles! It was so thick that no one could see into it as if it were a dense fog, and it was sweeping out of the room even as agents tried to beat it back, some even venturing into the depths in order to search for the child within.

Valerie grit her teeth in frustration and turned around to race towards the entrance. She had to find Jade, and that kid was in _sooooooooooooo_ much trouble when she found her!

* * *

Jackie had managed to ask a few people about the walking statue – and boy did he feel like a complete idiot for asking if people had actually seen a walking statue. But surprisingly, a few people had believed him, claimed to have sighted the strange looking man and pointed Jackie in the right direction. However, Jackie was a little nervous to see that Lo Pei seemed to be heading for Alcatraz Prison. Hopping on a ferry, Jackie had only just arrived on the famous island prison, when he saw the man-who-was-previously-a-statue in all his glory, green and gold robes, black beard and all. The warrior Lo Pei was standing over a great hole in the prison grounds with a talisman in his hand and appeared to be about to drop it into the hole. A flash of panic swept through Jackie as sprinted towards the figure.

"Wait! Please! Don't do that!" Jackie shouted, waving his arms in the air to catch the man's attention as he ran towards him. Lo Pei looked up, seeming slightly confused as he looked at Jackie ponderously.

"Who are you?" he asked somewhat curiously.

"I am the one who burrowed you from the museum," Jackie stated breathlessly, though at the look of continued confusion on Lo Pei's face, Jackie quickly hurried on. "You need to come home, and the Talismans need to be returned to Section 13, out of reach of the Dark Hand,"

"I know nothing of dark hands." Lo Pei stated stoically. "Only that the Talismans must remain hidden, lest they fall into the hands of the _Ultimate Evil._" He murmured, and Jackie felt a shier run down his spine at the last words, though he couldn't understand why.

"The ultimate evil?" he repeated curiously. "What is that?"

"You _dare_ ask a sacred warrior to speak its name?!" Lo Pei demanded, suddenly seeming furious as he loomed over Jackie.

"But you're not a warrior!" Jackie said quickly, backing up as he tried to calm the situation. "You're a statue – Terracota! You know… _knock-knock_." He clucked his tongue as he knocked a knuckle against his head to demonstrate. However, this didn't seem to appease the statue-man, if anything, it seemed to only make him angrier. "I'll prove it to you," Jackie smiled as he pulled out a newspaper with the picture of the statue of Lo Pei on the front.

"Scroll Magic!" Lo Pei exclaimed, suddenly spinning as he kicked Jackie in the stomach, knocking the wind from his lungs as the man was sent flying backwards.

"Actually… daily tribune." Jackie wheezed as he rubbed his head and tried to get his breath back. "Okay… new plan," Jackie said as he stood up, holding up his hands to try and seem unthreatening as Lo Pei still stood ready for an attack. "How about we work together? You know the location of the remaining talismans, right?"

"Yes," Lo Pei said fiercely. "And that is knowledge you shall _never_ possess! Energy Scroll!" he thundered as he took out a scroll from his sleeve with a blinding flash of green light.

* * *

Finn was eagerly retelling the story in front of Valmont and Shendu, who were both listening with equal parts suspicion and interest.

Upon realising that the statue wasn't at the Antique Shop – and after nursing their wounds – Finn, Ratso and Chow had taken the Dark Hand helicopter in order to fly over the city in search of any clues as to where it had gone. What they had not expected to see, was the statue _alive _and _moving!_ They had all been confused and shocked out of their minds when they had seen the very likeness of the statue of Lo Pei on Alcatraz island fighting and using some form of magic on none other than Jackie Chan! They had all discussed about what to do; despite their orders to apprehend the statue, so long as it was moving and doing all those magic-mumbo-probably-gonna-hurt-jumbo, they had no chance. So they had quickly decided to report back to Valmont and Shendu.

"…And he was whopping Chan pretty good," Finn said a little nervously, all three enforcers unsure of what reaction their report would create.

"Rather ironic, is it not Shendu?" Valmont turned to Shendu with an amused smirk on his face. "The statue of the man who turned _you_ into a statue is no longer a –"

"_Silence!_" Shendu hissed with barely supressed fury, his eyes glowing dangerously, which shut Valmont up pretty fast. "So Lo Pei has become a living being…" wasn't that just another thorn in his scaly side.

"Probably used the talisman – Oh!" Ratso grunted in pain when both Finn and Chow elbowed him in the stomach from either side of him.

"Lo Pei possess a talisman?" Shendu demanded, directing his voice onto Valmont accusingly. "And your men do _nothing_ to retrieve it?!"

"Big V, you should have seen the guy," Finn pleaded though his tone was very serious. "He's packing paper!"

"Exploding kind!" Ratso added quickly.

"We'd be toast!" Chow finished.

"You are expendable," Valmont muttered under his breath.

"However," Shendu said. "The Talismans are _not_." He then thought for a moment, a wicked idea forming in his mind as he turned his attention back to the enforcers. "You shall employ a weapon more powerful then scrolls: _Cunning._" The enforcers seemed to know that this plan might not sit well with them as their eyes widened slightly. "You will convince Lo Pei that you are his allies: fellow warriors of the Ling Dynasty."

"Err…" Finn said nervously. "Maybe you haven't noticed Shendu, but we don't exactly have that ancient warrior look," he motioned with a hand to his immaculate yet ridiculous white jacket. With but a mental pull, Shendu summoned a shadowkhan, holding garments and robes of authentic robes of ancient Chinese warriors.

"You were saying?" Shendu said testily.

"So we're going undercover," Chow grumbled.

"And one more thing." Shendu snapped at them, turning their attention back to him. "If Chan is there to reclaim the statue, it is more than likely that the rest of his meddling group are with him. Should you happen to see Miss Payne in the vicinity, I want you to remove her from Lo Pei's location, make sure that they do not interact for any longer than necessary."

"What? Why?" Ratso asked dumbly.

"Have you imbeciles forgotten that the Rat Talisman gives motion to the motionless?" Shendu spat angrily. "It grants whatever it activates the usual power of whatever that object is. That is why this statue can summon scroll magic. But more than that, it gives the statue all of the memories and thoughts of what it is supposed to be. There are some things I do _not_ wish for that statue to repeat onto unwelcome ears." Shendu growled as his eyes glowed dangerously.

"And take Tohru with you, just in case…" Valmont added.

"Okay then, no problem." Finn said quickly as she all but shoved his team out of the door and away from Shendu's growing ire.

It was only when the room was silent, that Shendu turned his focus back onto Valmont.

"You had best hope that your men succeed, Valmont," Shendu hissed to the human before him. "I have suffered your failures for long enough! _This_ time, should your men fail me, I will be forced to take my frustrations out on _something _or _someone else_…" the demon's gaze made it perfectly clear what he was implying, and he was most satisfied to see Valmont shiver involuntarily as he stared up at Shendu.

* * *

Valerie got out of the cab, throwing her change at the driver as she walked towards the railing that overlooked the bay, where a familiar orange hoody was standing by a sight-seeing binoculars machine-thing, looking at Alcatraz. Valerie had only managed to find her when she had gone to Captain Black and asked him to look into surveillance in the city in order to find her charge. Captain Black had understood her predicament and was surprisingly helpful as he personally got her into public security cameras and street cameras in order to try and spot where Jade had gone. They'd finally managed to find her, and Valerie had quickly left to get her. As Valerie now approached, she thought she heard the girl murmur Jackie's name under her breath.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Valerie asked, causing the girl to gasp in shock and turn around to see the stern look on the older woman's face as she tapped her foot on the pavement.

"Uh… heh," Jade chuckled nervously. "Hi Val, watcha doing here?" she asked in a too obviously innocent tone.

"Jade…" Valerie said slowly. "You were supposed to stay at Section 13 with me,"

"I know!" the girl pleaded suddenly, her eyes wide and desperate. "But this is my fault! I have to make it right Val! Jackie's in trouble!"

"I understand Jade, but what exactly do you plan to – whoa…" Valerie trailed off, her eyes going wide as she looked up past Jade to see a man literally _floating_ in the air! He looked like something straight out of an old Kung Fu movie, with green and gold robes, and a long black beard with dark eyes. He literally floated over the bay until his feet touched down on the shore not far from them. It took Valerie a moment to notice that the man was the spitting imagine of the statue of Lo Pei, and then it took her a minute longer to notice that Jade had left her side and was running towards the man. Valerie gasped and quickly run after the child.

"Hi!" Jade said overly cheery as she stepped in front of the ancient warrior. "Remember me?" she grinned.

"Out of my way, child," Lo Pei grumbled grouchily as he strode past her.

"_Child?!_" Jade said in slight outrage as she tried to keep up with the man. "You should be calling me master and granting me wishes!" But still the warrior ignored her, and Valerie saw Jade set her jaw with a growl; Valerie knew that look, the '_You've-made-me-mad-so-I'm-gonna-do-something-impulsive_' look.

"Jade!" She quickly yelled as she finally caught up with them and drew the child away in the case that the now walking warrior might lose patience with the young one. Valerie quickly pulled Jade behind her protectively, even as the warrior turned at the sound of her voice to see this new predicament.

But when his eyes caught on her, they suddenly widened and what seemed to be a dozen different emotions flew across his face: surprise, confusion, sorrow, hope, happiness, grief, and others. Valerie looked at him in confusion not knowing what to do as he continued to stare at her, mouth opening and closing as he took a timid step towards her.

"_Mei_?" he said in a hoarse croak that seemed to break inside of him as he continued to stare at her, as if not daring himself to hope.

"What?" Valerie blinked in surprise, shuffling her feet nervously.

"Mei!" Lo Pei suddenly launched himself at her, and Valerie couldn't even squeak in surprise, nor did she have the time to try and get out of the way of what she supposed was an attack, when suddenly, the ancient warrior wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. Valerie was stunned to stillness as she felt one hand at the back of her head, cradling her like a child as the bigger man folded around her, crushing her against him though not to the point to hurt her. "Mei! My little may-flower, I have found you,"

"Excuse me?" Valerie squeaked quietly, almost so low that she thought he didn't hear her.

"My blessed child, I thought I had lost you," the great warrior said as he released her from his arms only to hold her face in his hands as he beamed down at her, his eyes glistening with tears. "But as the birds return to their nesting grounds every year, so too have you returned to me, my daughter,"

"What?!" Valerie yelped as she tried to duck out of his grip. "I'm sorry, but there must be some mis–"

"I very convincing spell of concealment you wear," the warrior said, smiling proudly upon her as he gestured to all of her. "I am proud to see that you have hidden yourself so well, it would break my heart to see the _Ultimate Evil_ find you again," as he spoke that name, Valerie felt an involuntary shiver run down her spine, something racing through her veins that she could not completely suppress. "But any father can know his beloved child anywhere… your eyes, your mother's eyes… they sparkle like the still water, the same as the day you were born,"

"Look, Lo Pei," Valerie tried to say gently, something within her not wanting to hurt that completely overjoyed look she saw in the older man's eyes. "I'm sorry, but you've got it wrong –"

"There is nothing wrong," he interrupted hastily. "There's no need for you to hide any longer my dear, you are my daughter, my may-flower, Lo Mei,"

"Oh, look at this lovely family reunion!" Jade said overly brightly before Valerie could reply. "I bet this is something you don't want to do in public –"

"_Jade!_" Valerie hissed under her breath.

"– So how about we hop the number four bus to Section 13," Jade continued quickly to Lo Pei. "Return the Talismans to the Vault, and you two can sort out all your problems! No harm, no foul! What do you say big guy?" She grinned and held out a thumb's up as if she were a kid off of a TV commercial. Lo Pei frowned as he looked at the hand curiously.

"What is this strange gesture?" he asked almost to himself.

"Jade's idea of a sale's pitch," Valerie muttered to herself.

"It means A-Okay, we're pals," Jade grinned a genuine smile as she nudged the warrior as if they were old comrades.

"The small one is no pal!" came a voice, and everyone turned to see three figures standing across the road.

Jade and Valerie sucked in a breath in unison, and Valerie subtly took a step in front of Jade to try and shield her, a hand on her shoulder as they saw the three Dark Hand enforcers. However, Valerie had to blink in surprise, for all three of them (still with angry red marks on some parts of the exposed flesh of their necks from their earlier burns) were dressed in ancient Chinese robes much similar to Lo Pei's. Valerie had to wonder what on earth they were doing, but whatever it was, she felt a bad feeling in her stomach as she braced herself.

"She is the enemy, O great Lo Pei!" Chow stated as he pointed an accusing finger at Jade. Jade and Valerie were wide wide-eyed, almost unable to comprehend this costume show before them. Chow was in the middle, his gigantic sunglasses gone to show his more Asian features, Finn and Ratso flanking him and oddly silent as they allowed Chow to do the talking for them.

"You know my name?" Lo Pei asked, seeming genuinely surprised as he looked at the figures across the street.

"Sure, we're your homies," Chow said nonchalantly, slipping into his own way of speech right before a truck drove past and obscured him and the other enforcers from view for a half second. Valerie looked sharply over at Pei to try and see what he was thinking. Surely he wasn't buying this?! Especially after that slip up! "I mean…err… fellow warriors from the Ling Dynasty come to help!" he said quickly as they crossed the road towards them, Valerie taking an involuntary step back with Jade right behind her.

Valerie and Jade eyed Ratso and Chan who tried to cast them innocent smiles. Jade growled at them, and for once, Valerie was inclined to agree.

"As the, err, dew helps the morning glory to blossom," Chow said, stumbling for the right metaphor that he had clearly made up.

"Yep, that's us!" Finn said cheerily as all three of them smiled a little too brightly.

"No way you're buying this?!" Jade demanded to Pei, though she was quickly spoken over by Chow.

"The Emperor sent us to help you hide the Talisman…" he trailed off as his eyes caught sight of something. "Talismans." He corrected.

Valerie looked over sharply to see the belt that was wrapped around Pei's torso, the faint glow of their magic suddenly red before fading. Pei had all the Talismans from Section 13! How could she have been so stupid as to forget that fact?!

"You got so many," Chow continued as he and the enforcers leaned in with a greedy look in their eyes. "He figures we can do it faster and cheaper,"

"They're so lying!" Jade cried out furiously. "They're the Dark Hand! Bad guys! Enemies of Jackie and me!"

"You can't believe them!" Valerie joined in, her vote seeming to actually make Pei stop to look at her with the slightest hint of suspicion in his eyes towards the new three figures.

"Yeah Lo Pei," Finn added with a smile, drawing the old warrior's attention back to him. "You know Jackie, the guy who was trying to bust you up back on Alcatraz? He's her uncle," he pointed a finger at Jade, causing Pei to look at her with suspicion.

"By marriage!" Jade tried to explain away quickly and uneasily. "Hardly know him really, hehe," she laughed nervously and casting an innocent look up at the warrior. Valerie face-palmed.

"As the Lilly-pad offers respite to the weary bullfrog," Pei said calmly in his wise yet gruff voice. "So too is your service to our cause much appreciated," he said to the three enforcers as he took off his belt and held it out for them.

"No –!" Jade tried to say but was quickly grabbed by Ratso and Finn, who tried to stifle her cries.

"Jade!" Valerie cried out as she launched herself into the fray, only giving a brief thought as to her own health as she desperately clawed at her friend's captors, trying to prise the girl free. However, she didn't get far before Finn snatched back Jade and Ratso tried to grab at Valerie.

"Come on little ladies, you're not supposed to be here," Ratso leered patronisingly in Valerie's ear. Seeing this sudden development, Pei's eyes narrowed with anger as he suddenly brought the belt out of reach of Chow and turned on him.

"A sacred warrior would _never_ harm a child!" he thundered. "You are imposters!"

"Yes!" Jade exclaimed in triumph as Valerie quickly stamped on Ratso's foot and managed to wriggle her way free as she snatched the girl from Finn and ran to safety. However, a large shadow fell over them all, and Valerie turned in time to see with horror filled eyes as she heard the familiar loud footsteps.

"Look out!" she and Jade shouted together, and Pei turned in time to see the giant figure of Tohru standing above them all, holding a small cab in the air!

"Your cab's here!" he growled out as he suddenly threw the cab onto the ancient warrior.

"_NO!" _ Valerie and Jade screamed as the cab crushed the man underneath it and he disappeared from sight. They rushed to his side, a hand lying limply out from under the car, but the Dark Hand were already picking up the belt of talismans and making their exit. Valerie and Jade were left in shock by the body, unsure of what to do as they looked about in panic. This couldn't be happening!

"Energy scroll!" Jade cried desperately as she reached into the sleeve of the limp hand to retrieve a piece of parchment and flinging it into the air. However, nothing seemed to happen, the paper floating uselessly to the floor. Jade's eyes sparked with panic as she once again picked it up and flung it into the air. "Err, power up!"

"Jade –" Valerie tried to whisper, though her voice came out broken and cracked. She didn't know why, but she felt a gaping hole in her chest as grief threatened to overcome her again. She had only known this man for just a few minutes, so why was she mourning him? She was devastated because she's seen someone killed in front of her, yes, that was plausible. But why this despair? Was it because of the desperate joy she had seen in his eyes, the caring and soothing way he had held her in his arms? Or was it because he had called her daughter, and some pathetic part of her was desperate to cling onto any semblance of her own father? But Jade wouldn't listen, still trying to make the parchment work.

"Abracadabra?" she asked miserably as the parchment settled on the ground once again, lifeless.

"Jade," Valerie said again, reaching out to place a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder as she buried her face in her hands. "I'm sorry. But it's too late, he's –"

"Levitation Scroll!" came a thundering voice, as suddenly the parchment on the floor blazed with a brilliant green light and the car suddenly lifted into the air. Valerie squealed in surprise, scooting backwards as she watched in pure shock as Lo Pei was revealed beneath the floating car, in one piece, not squished, and completely unharmed. With a way of his hand, the car settled down on the street beside him as he slowly sat up.

"You're okay!" Jade exclaimed with equal parts wonder, amazement and happiness. Lo Pei seemed confused as he looked at his hands as if waiting for fountains of blood to start pouring from unseen cuts.

"Yes…" he said a little unsteadily, still inspecting his hands. "But I have no wound…"

"Well…" Jade started hesitantly, as if afraid of hurting his feelings. "That's because… you're a statue." Lo Pei looked at Jade with a frown, as if she were an imaginative infant who constantly acted out a fantasy.

"Mei, are you both alright?" he asked as he looked up at Valerie, his gaze softening.

"Yeah, we're okay," Valerie murmured, wincing internally at the sound of him calling her a name that was not her own.

"Those false warriors in the employ of the _Ultimate Evil_ now possess the Talismans." Pei said gravely as he stood, for the first time, a look of defeat and resignation passing over his face. "I have failed. And you are in great danger my daughter,"

"What danger?" Valerie asked, knowing her voice sounded slightly frightened even as he spine shivered again from something she could not name.

"Wait, we can get them back!" Jade said quickly. "Where's that old sacred warrior spirit? Eye of the tiger! Never say never! Hoo-Ah!" she cheered as she held out a thumb's up.

Once again, Pei looked at her hand with curiosity, something enkindling to hope in his eyes as he looked down at his own hand, and slowly, as if he were working out a puzzle, formed his own thumbs up sign.

"Well that's something I never thought I'd see," Valerie said, unable to hide her own smile.

"Jade!" came a sudden voice as everyone turned to see Jackie running towards them, desperately and urgently as he came to stand beside Jade. "No! Don't hurt her!"

"It's okay Jackie," Jade told him with a calm smile. "Me and Lo Pei are pals,"

"The old boy's not so bad," Valerie offered with a smile.

"Pals… A-Okay," Pei murmured as he saluted a thumbs up, which Jade returned. Valerie grinned.

"And the Talismans?" Jackie ventured.

"Oh dear." Valerie muttered. "That… didn't go as planned."

"Yeah, they kind of got away with them…" Jade murmured guiltily. Jackie looked devastated for a second, before rubbing a hand over his face as he shook his head miserably. "It's okay!" Jade offered brightly. "We'll get the Talismans back! Warriors-Yes!"

"Warriors-no!" Jackie corrected quickly as he knelt before his niece to look imploringly into her eyes. "You are a child, and I am an archaeologist… though not for long." He then looked at Lo Pei. "If I don't get _you_ back to the museum." He then looked at Valerie. "And _you_ should be keeping Jade at Section 13,"

"Hey, don't blame me!" Valerie said defensively. "The girl's a mini-Houdini,"

"Again you speak nonsense," Pei said to Jackie as he began to walk away dismissively. "As the crescent moon is duty bound to follow the sunset, so shall I smite this Dark Hand. Hoo-Ah!" he cried with a thumb's up.

"Hoo-ah?" Jackie asked Jade with a pointed look.

"Its… an ancient warrior thing,"

"Sure," Valerie muttered, though couldn't suppress a grin as she, Jackie and Jade followed Lo Pei down the street.

* * *

"Rooster, Ox, Bunny, Horsey," Chow listed off as he inspected the talismans in the belt as the chopper flew them towards the Dark Hand HQ. He and the other enforcers were grinning as they knew they had done good with this catch, even Valmont seemed impressed by his look on the screen through the video call. Shendu however, still seemed on edge. "We got the whole kitten-caboodle!"

"You failed to mention the _Rat_." Shendu said in a low and suspicious voice.

"Err, sorry big cheese," Finn said disappointedly. "No rat. Honest. We checked all his pockets,"

"That is because Lo Pei carried it _within_ him you fools!" Shendu growled out. "You will remove it or face my _wrath!_" he snarled, his eyes glowing so brightly that they lit up the whole screen, before the line suddenly disconnected.

* * *

"What is the meaning of this?!" Lo Pei suddenly thundered in outrage as he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and pointed up at a building across the street. Valerie winced as she saw that a huge poster on a billboard proudly displayed a picture of the statue of Lo Pei to be at the museum as its newest exhibit. She looked at Lo Pei as he studied the picture, a sense of realisation coming over him, and with it, another look of defeat as he seemed to deflate. "You were speaking the truth… I am a statue… But if this is true… how can it be?" he asked, equal parts mystified and upset.

Valerie cast a look over at Jade, who nodded guiltily before slowly coming up to Pei and touched the place where his heart should be.

"Motion to the motionless," she murmured. Pei flinched, a look of innocent hurt entering his eyes as he brought his hands to his chest, before sighing.

"Hmm, the power of the rat…" he murmured, and then slowly looked up at Valerie, his eyes finally studying her closely, and she felt like a bug as he inspected every inch of her face, as if he were mentally taking her apart and putting her back together piece by piece. "And you are not my daughter,"

"I…" Valerie began, a flash of guilt coursing through her as she knew that this information would hurt him, and she knew that she didn't want to do that, she didn't want to have to smash this man's hopes. "No." she finally said. "My name is Valerie Payne… my mother is Stephanie Payne, and father was John Lawson."

"Was?" Jade whispered, but Valerie ignored it, along with the stabbing ache in her chest.

"So my daughter… my Mei… she is still dead…" Pei's voice broke in a way that Valerie was very familiar with, and a wave of pity washed through her.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I don't know who she is,"

Pei closed his eyes as a look of grief came over him, dejection in his eyes as he turned away from them and sat down in silence on a street bench, his whole posture seeming to be of one who had been beaten. Valerie had no idea why, but it cut her inside to see such a strong man such as this, reduced to such misery. She'd seen something similar, had experienced the grief he felt, for there was no pain quite like that of losing one of your family. It cut you to the core and the wound never truly healed. So, without knowing what she was really doing, Jade and Jackie remaining behind, as if they could sense the sudden need for privacy, Valerie walked over and sat beside the great warrior. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, Valerie allowing him time to absorb, but she knew from personal experience, that each second spent in silence was another second for him to forget the good and only remember the end: the death, the anger, the sorrow. People often say that you need time alone to think it through, to let it settle, but when Valerie had been told that her father had been killed, she would have given anything for someone to talk to, someone to remind her of all the good things of her father, and not linger on the thoughts that he was dead, and he wouldn't be coming home ever again.

"What was she like?" she asked softly, and as she had hoped, Pei leaned back against the bench, his eyes seeming distant as a look that was not quite so sad entered his eyes.

"Mei was my only daughter," he said in a soft yet gruff voice, making him sound like a lion purring gently. "She and my son, I loved more than anything in the world. When everything is lost, your children are all you have, they were everything to me. Mei was beautiful and sweet, she loved nothing more than sitting in the gardens when she could, watching the birds."

"You two were close?"

"As close as a father and daughter could be," he told her, a hint of pride in his voice with a faint smile. But then, his gaze back sombre. "Where we lived… it was not a good place. A tyrant ruled our lands, we were no better than slaves. My family lived better than most… but it was still not a good life. My wife died in childbirth to my children, so I was all they had left. I taught my children to never stop believing, to find happiness in the moments where they could find it. That is why my daughter loved the gardens, she loved the flowers." He trailed off, a forlorn smile creeping across his face as he gazed out into nothing.

Valerie hated herself for asking her next question, but she had no choice. A small part of her would not let her rest until she voiced it; she _needed_ to know.

"What… what happened to her?" she forced herself to ask with a slight croak, Goosebumps prickling up her arms at the familiar question she had asked the chief inspector only a year ago. She banished such thoughts furiously from her mind. She didn't like the answer then, and she didn't like to think about it now. All it did was bring her more tears and misery.

"The unthinkable…" He whispered in a broken voice. "She fell into the hands of the _Ultimate Evil._" He spoke the words with such utter loathing, Valerie felt her skin prickle. "He took her to be his bride, though she was unwilling. I had seen my only daughter snatched away from, with the promise of her eternal misery. My people had been made as slaves, but it was the only life we knew. But when my daughter was taken… I could no longer stand idle. I raised an army to save my daughter and my people from the tyrant, but… in vain." He ended on a whisper, and Valerie instinctively reached out to clutch his hand in hers, squeezing his fingers to try and offer whatever comfort she could.

"What happened?" she forced herself to ask.

"We stormed his palace, and our whole resistance fought against him in an attempt for freedom. But during the battle… my little Mei was killed. In my fury, I dealt with the evil that had plagued my homeland, I imprisoned him and took from him the sacred talismans. I mourned the death of my daughter… my little may-flower…" he paused in order to take an unsteady breath, tears in his voice though he would not show them in his eyes. He then slowly looked up at Valerie, his eyes searching hers as if she held all the answers. "You look like her," he said simply.

"But I'm not her…" Valerie murmured softly, needing to express the truth but not knowing how to be gentle with it.

"You have the same eyes… and something about you gives the pair of you a resemblance… it allowed me to be happy if just for a moment," he murmured.

"We all suffer loss, Pei," Valerie murmured, the truth ringing in her ears and making her stomach turn. "But it's how you deal with it that counts,"

"But I am not even who I think I am…" he said dejectedly. "I have had no real family, no real loss; I am not even a man but an inanimate object made of terracotta, with only the memories of a man,"

"Hey, come on," Jade said encouragingly as she came closer, a supportive smile on her face. "Everyone loves a statue," she tried to say helpfully with a thumbs up, though Pei merely seemed to deflate further at her words, Valerie's sympathy only rising as she instinctively squeezed the man's hand.

And then, faintly but growing louder, Valerie thought she heard the sound of motorcycles, standing from the bench, she looked curiously down the street, something not sitting well in her stomach. Being a cop's daughter, she had inherited her father's gut instinct for when something was about to go wrong. Jackie followed her gaze, just as suspicious as she was, and they saw three motorcycles with three familiar figures coming straight towards them.

"The Dark Hand!" Jackie exclaimed in slight panic.

"Why?" Jade asked, eyes wide. "They have all the talismans!"

"No they do not…" Pei said as he stood and stared down the street with an anxious gaze.

"They're after the rat!" Valerie exclaimed as she looked from Lo Pei fearfully to the fast approaching Dark Hand.

"Duh," Jade muttered to herself as she smacked her own forehead.

The Dark Hand were only fifty feet away, holding long baton-like-swords that sizzled with the hum of electricity. Valerie gasped and edged backwards, a hand instinctively going to Jade and Pei in an attempt to get them all to safet–

"Immobiliser Scroll!" Pei suddenly thundered as he unleashed a piece of parchment from his sleeve, and a blinding flash of green light suddenly commenced. Valerie winced as she shielded her eyes, but after a moment, when she finally dared to look, she saw that the Dark Hand Enforcers were all standing perfectly still on their bikes, eyes wide as they wondered what was happening to them, before all of them, comically slowly became off balance on their bikes and fell to the floor.

But then, Tohru suddenly appeared, the giant towering over the little group, a set of nun-chucks in his hands as he twirled them expertly about his arms in a threatening display. One that caused Valerie to shrink back with a whimper. But then, with a raging battle cry, Lo Pei sprang into the air and kicked both legs straight into Tohru's upper chest. With a cry, the giant man was sent flying backwards as if the arm of a crane had just smacked into him, and he landed heavily several feet away, groaning, and not getting back up any time soon. Valerie couldn't hold back her grin.

"Wow," she said as Lo Pei landed neatly on his feet and retrieved the belt of talismans from the still frozen Chow. "Who needs magic when you got moves like that!" No sooner were the words out of her mouth, then Valerie saw the shadows of the street suddenly come alive as Shadowkhan suddenly appeared everywhere to surround them. Valerie had seen the Shadow-warriors in passing when Jackie had encountered them before, but this was her first time meeting several dozen of them face to face, their black visages seemed to make them blend perfectly with the darkness, and they moved with inhuman speed, grace and precision. Everything about them screamed "un-natural" from their blue skin to their glowing red eyes, and Valerie gulped as she slid closer to Jackie. "Err, actually, magic would be good right about now,"

"We must go," Pei ordered, his voice rich with authority as he stood defiantly against the horde of dark figures. "As the bamboo stands firm against the furious hale, so shall I stay them off… so long as I am able."

"No!" Valerie said automatically, shaking her head desperately as she looked about. "You can't, there are too many!"

"I entrust you to guard the talismans," Pei continued, completely serious as he held out the talisman belt to Jackie, whilst keeping an eye on the shadowy figures. "And keep your world safe from the _Ultimate Evil_,"

"I understand," Jackie said gravely with a nod. "Thank you,"

"No!" Valerie said furiously. "Don't be a martyr! It's not worth it!" furious tears were pouring from her eyes as she came to stand in front of Pei, noses inches apart as she dared to look him square in the eyes. She didn't know why she was suddenly shaking, why her eyes were suddenly leaking, but she was suddenly in two states of mind, one on the sidewalk, and one demanding answers from a man she would never speak to again. "There are too many of them for you to handle on your own! Run! Get to safety! You have other things to live for! You have a daughter –"

"No, I do not," he told her sadly, a hand coming to rest on her shoulder, and Valerie felt the fire that had suddenly been in her veins deflate, and she blinked and looked up at him as if coming out from a dream. "Though you are not my child by blood, you are mine through my heart. Go now, be safe, and remember your father, as you have showed me to remember my daughter," he whispered.

Before Valerie could think to understand what he meant and how he could have known, Pei suddenly thrust the talisman belt into her hands and she slowly stepped away from him as he turned to face the Shadowkhan. With one last sad look, Valerie turned on her heel and sprinted for all she was worth as she followed Jackie who picked up Jade in his arms and ran with her towards the docks to where a jetski was waiting for them, likely the one that Jackie had used to get to the shore from Alcatraz. With each hard push of her arms, each harsh breath in her lungs, Valerie felt an ach in her chest that had nothing to do with her suddenly overworked respiratory system, and everything to do with the memories that refused to be silenced and go back to the hidden prison in her mind where she had banished them. Memories of a woman who had been turned back into a girl by the world's worst news, hearing people tell her the very thing she had always feared, the guilt that had flared through her, the lies told to her that everything would be alright when she knew that the world would never be the same again. As each memory came, she banished it just as quickly with each tear that fell.

They managed to reach the shore of the bay Jackie climbing onto the jetski and starting it up, Jade talking to him, arguing with him though Valerie couldn't hear what was said, she was numb to everything and hardly able to breathe through the pain in her chest that refused to abate with the memories. She quickly slipped the talisman belt over her shoulders and quickly turned to pick up Jade. The child quickly caught something from the air, and looking down at her hand, Valerie saw the Rat Talisman.

Grief warred with panic and survival instincts as Valerie quickly picked Jade up and deposited her on the water craft before squeezing on behind her as Jackie sped away and they left.

* * *

To say that Shendu was _absolutely furious beyond all comprehension_ was an understatement! The fire that coursed through him was blazing to such a degree that he felt his own stone scales radiating the heat in waves as his eyes blazed, the temperature of the room soaring with his ever mounting temper.

"_VALMONT, YOU COMPLETE IDIOT!_" He roared so loudly, he felt the wall he was hanging on shake. "The talismans were in your men's possession and they lose EVERY. SINGLE. _ONE_?!"

"Now Shendu," Valmont tried to start cautiously, attempting to have his own sense of pride in his slightly defiant tone, though Shendu could see his knees give a slight shake with every other heart beat as his red eyes glowed so brightly it cast the human in a demonic shade of blood. "You were the one that told my men to –"

"ENOUGH!" Shendu roared as a jet of fire streaked from his mouth, causing Valmont to gasp as he leapt back out of range, as Shendu's frozen form could not move his head to follow the direction of his human prey. He ceased the fire in his throat, steam still hissing from his jaws as Valmont managed to readjust his tie as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, though Shendu watched his throat bob with nerves. "I am tired of your _failures_ Valmont." the demon hissed icily, his tone full of malice and the promise of hurt which he would greatly relish. "I have warned you of what would happen if you tested me again, yet you have chosen to carry on with your complete _farce _of an operation!"

"Shendu," Valmont pleaded quietly. "I just need –"

"_SILENCE!_" Shendu snarled savagely, and Valmont quickly shut his mouth. "It seems to me, that you do not take this mission _seriously,_ Valmont. So it is clear to me, that if my demands nor my play to your greed can not motivate you… then I must use _other_ methods with which to make you more cooperative with my goals,"

Before Valmont could say anything, the doors to the office burst open, and Shendu was pleased to see Valmont turn and his face pale slightly when he saw two Shadowkhan enter the office, and held between them was a young woman. The shadowkhan held her by her arms as she kicked and struggled against them, though they still dragged her forward and shoved her down to the floor so that she was kneeling before the desk. The woman was absolutely terrified: her artificially blonde hair was messy with strands out of place from her struggle against the dark-warriors, her big doe-like eyes looked from one face to another with her huge amount of makeup smearing from her tears and sniffles; her small pouty lips were also puckered as she panted for breath. Her gaze seemed to snag on Valmont, a thin ray of hope shining in her eyes.

"Mr Valmont?" she asked shrilly, her voice already grating on Shendu's nerves, and he recalled vaguely that she was Valmont's secretary or something like that. "Sir?! What is happening?!" Valmont seemed to understand what was happening, and turned his gaze away from the woman.

Shendu didn't answer her with words, only hissed in a very unearthly way, and the woman's gaze snapped to the statue and her eyes widened as on an instinctual level, she realised that something predatory and deadly was beheld right before her. Shendu drank in her fear as if it were a sweet wine to his senses, rejuvenating him and making him all the more excited for what he was about to do. Oh, how he had missed this! The execution was only as fun as the screams were loud and piercing in his ears, and he hoped this woman screamed like a banshee. Heaven and Hell knew how much Shendu needed the release for his pent up anger and bloodlust.

The Shadowkhan slid their hands down to the woman's wrists, and pulled her body taught so that they were out of range, but she had nowhere to go. With a roar, Shendu unleashed a torrent of fire that suddenly raced across to the woman in front of him, the flames engulfing her in their depths and roasting her alive. Her screams met his ears like a song, and he relished every moment, turning down the intensity of the flames just enough to prolong her agony and her shrill screams without killing her outright in the furnace. The stench of burning flesh and bubbling blood and smoke filled the air, and Shendu saw out of the corner of his eye how Valmont was watching the proceedings silently, his face pale though not in sympathy for the poor woman, a handkerchief held over his nose and mouth. But all too soon, Shendu's symphony of death ended, the woman dying and then quickly turned to nothing but ash. The Shadowkhan returned to their realm of darkness at Shendu's silent dismissal, leaving him alone with the shaking human as the dragon trained his glowing eyes on the mortal.

"Do _NOT_ fail me again…" he hissed, the warning clear and simple. Valmont nodded mutely.

* * *

**I apologise for lateness and any and all mistakes but it is very late here in the UK and I am extremely tired... but I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and please don't forget to review!**


	7. The Black Tiger

**Author's Note: I am aware that I have missed out the Monkey Talisman episode, this being that it did happen in my story, but it happened exactly the way it did in the show, and plus Valerie was stuck in the shop whilst Jackie and Jade went on that little adventure by themselves. So therefore it is not worth me writing out a WHOLE chapter for something that was exactly the same. I hope this is okay, and hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

The Black Tiger

* * *

It was only a few days later that the Chan Clan had reason to be excited: it was nearing Uncle's birthday! Despite the fact that the old man had not mentioned this fact before, Jackie had told Valerie and Jade, who had been ecstatic and quickly got onto the notion of throwing a surprise birthday party. Jackie had reluctantly agreed, and for once, Valerie had given in to her more "girly" side when she had excitedly started planning with Jade. Getting Uncle to the party would be no problem, for they decided to hold it in the shop, and Uncle never left the shop for more time then he could possibly help. So the next question, was who to invite? Jade had quickly said for it to be just family and friends. So Valerie's main problem, was figuring out what to get him…

Two days before the party, Jackie had received a call from Captain Black to say that the Dark Hand had been sighted. Jackie had left immediately with the promise to Jade to be back in time for the party, to which Valerie hoped he would be able to keep. Whilst he was gone, Jade and Valerie still helped out around the shop and organised the party. Though on the morning of Uncle's birthday, Jade had to give in to her nervous insecurities and call Jackie to make sure that he would be home in time. Unfortunately, Jackie's flight had a layover to Bavaria, but the good news was that the plane would still arrive in San Francisco in time for the party that evening.

And true to his word, Jackie was home just an hour before they had scheduled the party. Jade had been so happy to see him, and Valerie had been relieved. Uncle had come to see Jackie's arrival, before Jade had literally pulled them all into the kitchen.

"Happy birthday Uncle!" they had all exclaimed at once, making the old man give a small and polite smile, unusually subdued and quiet… which unnerved Valerie. Jade quickly passed over her card and present, which Valerie had helped her in acquiring. Uncle still had that small smile as he opened up the present, revealing a picture of Jade, Captain Black and a Section 13 agent as they all stood in Moose-World, the two secret agents laughing whilst Jade was scowling, a red look in her eyes. Uncle frowned at the picture in confusion.

"Hehe," Jade chuckled nervously, her cheeks heated with embarrassment. "I was all possessed that day… but my hair looks good – and hey, funny moose!" she added quickly, thinking the situation terrible and trying to fix it, causing Valerie to chuckle as she nudged the child playfully.

"I will cherish it, Jade," Uncle told her with a fond smile and a pat on her shoulder. Valerie felt her heart warm at seeing a genuinely happy smile on the old man's face, a complete contrast to his usual grumpy self, or his more sombre mood he had been in the last few days.

"My turn then!" Valerie said, quickly reaching behind her to gather her present from the counter, a small box with a bright blue wrapping paper, and deposited it in front of Uncle. "Hope you like it,"

Uncle was a little surprised but his smile returned as he began to tear the wrapping paper and open up the box. A puzzled expression was on his face as he pulled out a tea pot. It was old, yet not an antique, with painted on Chinese symbols on both sides, one a symbol for hospitality, and the other a symbol for luck.

"I know it's not an antique," Valerie said a little sheepishly. "But seeing as I broke the last one, I thought it only right to replace it. Hopefully this one is a bit more sturdier,"

"Thank you Valerie," he smiled at her as he placed the tea pot carefully on the table. "What did _you_ bring me?" Uncle asked Jackie with a pointed look at the young man who was leaning over his shoulder.

"Oh – Ta-da!" Jackie said excitedly as he placed a basket onto the table in front of uncle, filled with all sorts of foods and other pieces of junk.

"A gift basket?" Valerie whispered under her breath with a glare at Jackie.

"It was the only thing I could get!" Jackie whispered back.

"Chocolates stains my teeth, and cheese makes my… none of your business," he muttered irritably. Valerie gave Jackie another glare.

"Err…" Jackie fumbled nervously under her heated gaze, before fishing something out of his pocket. "I brought you one more thing!" he then handed the Dog Talisman over to Uncle, who held it in his hand with an almost disappointed look in his ancient eyes. "It's your sign," Jackie offered, trying to get out of the whole he had dug himself.

"It's his birthday!" Valerie snapped at Jackie. "You're not supposed to bring him more work!"

"So how old are you Uncle?" Jade asked suddenly and loudly, trying to distract from the growing tense mood that had fallen over the room.

"Jade!" both Jackie and Valerie snapped in unison.

"Err… in dog years?" she tried to supply.

"I will do research now," Uncle sighed sadly, a tired look on his face as he stiffly got up and walked out of the kitchen towards the backroom.

"But Uncle we have cake!" Jade tried to call him back.

"It's your birthday," Valerie said.

"You have to celebrate!"

"When I am another year younger… _then_ I will celebrate," Uncle sighed, before closing the door behind him.

Valerie blinked in stunned surprise. So _that_ was what had Uncle so upset the past few days? What with the business with Lo Pei, Jackie and Jade going to find the Monkey Talisman, and now Jackie just returned from finding the Dog Talisman, Valerie had been rather preoccupied, her mind hadn't let her stop for a moment and see that her grouchy old boss was… _old_. Uncle was certainly an old man, his health and stamina was not what it used to be, and obviously for someone such as he had supposedly been (if his seemingly tall tales were correct) that was something to mourn over. Valerie could only imagine what he was going through, even though she was still in her early twenties, she was terrified of growing too old that her body began to slowly shut down on her. She sighed, knowing that there was nothing she could do for Uncle, and only hoped that these depressive thoughts of his would go away in their own time.

Valerie got to the shop earlier than usual the next morning, it was a Saturday, and she was up to date on all her current research projects for the University. Her teachers were actually rather impressed by the quality of her work, even if they were more than disappointed at her attendance record. Valerie was simply amazed that she had gotten that, what with all this business regarding the talismans, school-work had not exactly been at the forefront of her mind, though she was determined to make sure her grades were as high as possible. If they fell to any worrying degree, she knew that her mother would pull her out fast then a cowboy at a rodeo and drag her back to Toronto. And Valerie knew she wasn't ready to go back, she and her mother were still sour after… She quickly banished the thoughts, not wanting to linger on them for too long.

It was just as she was opening up the shop – Uncle being rather quiet in the back room – when Jackie and Jade came barrelling into the store, Jade bouncing with excitement, whilst Jackie looked rather worried.

"Guys, what's up?" Valerie asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"We found another Talisman!" Jade exclaimed.

"What?! Already?" Valerie asked in disbelief.

"Well, not _really_," the kid mumbled as she thought. "But we know where to go to get it!"

"Jade was going through my present to Uncle," Jackie began.

"The gift basket?" Valerie muttered a little sourly.

"Yes," Jackie agreed. "She found a chocolate Talisman,"

"What?" Valerie blinked, her mind struggling to comprehend what she just heard. "The Talisman of chocolate?" she snorted in amusement. "Sorry, but I don't remember the coco-plant being part of the Chinese zodiac,"

"But the pig is!" Jade exclaimed excitedly as she held up an octagon shaped chocolate piece wrapped in blue foil with the picture of a pig on the front.

"The pig _is_ one of the signs of the Chinese Zodiac that we haven't yet located," Jackie said with a serious expression as he plucked the chocolate from Jade's fingers to hold it up so that Valerie could see the familiar shape. "And, these fercles chocolates are clearly modelled after the pig talisman!" he explained.

"Weird…" Valerie murmured, her interest peaked at how a European country could model their chocolates from an ancient Chinese talisman.

"So once again," Jackie groaned. "I am off to Bavaria," he hung his head, clearly not enjoying the idea of the trip.

"I could use a change of scenery," came a voice, and they all turned to see Uncle standing there beside a suitcase, smiling at them. "I will go with you!" he said happily. Valerie's eyes widened in surprise and confusion.

"_Wha-_?!" Valerie just barely managed to choke out. As if just noticing her, Uncle looked over at her and beamed excitedly.

"And you will come to!" he said.

"What?!" Valerie exclaimed. "Oh, no-no-no!" she spoke in a rush, panic flying through her. "I can't go! Who will watch the shop?"

"Shop will be fine, we will just be closed – think of it as a holiday." Uncle waved a hand dismissively.

"Remember what happened the last time I came on a mission with you guys?! The bruising on my face has only just gone away!" she pleaded desperately, wringing her hands together. "And what use would I be, I'd just get in the way!"

"You will be fine," Uncle told her reassuringly with a smile. "You can help Uncle with his books for research,"

"Awesome!" Jade suddenly shouted excitedly. "No babysitter means I get to go too!"

"B-b-b-b-b-but UNCLE!" Jackie fumbled, clearly as taken aback as Valerie, trying to find a coherent sentence in his attempt to unscramble his brain. "You NEVER leave the shop! And what about the Dog Talisman?"

"Valerie is coming with us to do research on the way," Uncle once again waved his hand dismissively, leaning against the ladder of one of his bookcases, his weight however, pushed it too far, making it roll away and bumping into an expensive antique vase on the top of the shelf. Valerie gasped as she watched the antique titter to the edge, and slowly began to fall. She was about to call out for Jackie to do something, when suddenly something prevented her.

Uncle suddenly leapt up onto a chair, propelling himself in the opposite direction as he pushed off from it, sailing through the air as he caught the vase, before skidding along the floor to a safe stop. Valerie felt like screaming, surely the old man had broken something in such a risky move for his ancient body! But then, Uncle calmly rolled onto his back, and flipped himself back onto his feet to put the vase safely on a counter. Valerie's jaw practically hit the floor.

"Whoa..." Jade murmured, Jackie looking on in a state of shock.

"You guys are not normal, I swear…" Valerie mumbled.

"So, what are we waiting for?" Uncle asked cheerily.

* * *

"You failed to retrieve the talisman," Valmont muttered sourly as he looked up at a dejected looking Tohru, who had returned from his mission in Europe, empty handed again. Thankfully though, Valmont had had enough foresight in him to meet Tohru down in one of the other offices away from Shendu's prying eyes. He knew that the dragon-statue was in enough of a bad mood as it was, and declairing that Valmont didn't have another Talisman would only surely seal his doom. Valmont repressed a shudder as he remembered that he still couldn't get the stench of burning flesh out of his office. "And you _sat_ on this!" Valmont dropped the magical seeking device that Shendu had made, broken and cracked from where Tohru had accidentally sat on it thanks to Jackie Chan.

"Apologies, Master," Tohru said softly, closing his eyes like a dejected puppy as he bowed his head.

Valmont set his jaw in frustration. He couldn't afford anymore screw ups, the only way he would get his hands on the Lost Treasure and by extension keep his life, would be if he brought Shendu the Talismans. But as of the last failure, Shendu had raised the stakes. Valmont was beginning to regret his decision to help the demon, but now he had no choice, and he was going to stick to the course no matter the cost. Tohru's failures would no longer be tolerated, Valmont would need to clean up this mess and attempt to salvage what he could; if not, then he would feed Tohru to the dragon's growing frustration. Valmont briefly wondered how long it would take for a man of Tohru's stature to burn down to nothing but ash and dust.

Sighing, Valmont rid himself of such morbid thoughts and decided to put his plan into action, pressing a button on his cell-phone before turning back to Tohru.

"Perhaps the time has come to have a freelancer lead future missions," Valmont said aloud, noting the hint of panic and heartbroken look on Tohru's face.

"N-no need Master," he pleaded quickly. "I will do better,"

"Too late," Valmont snapped irritably. It was then that the door to the sub-office opened and the shadow of a large man entered the room. "Ah! Tohru, meet Hak Foo."

The new man entered the office, standing only a little shorter than Tohru, yet slimmer and packed with muscle. He looked like a championship wrestler, with huge arms and shoulder and a large chest and six-pack abs on display for all the world to see. He wore a blue jacket open to reveal his torso, and loose red pants and dark boots to allow easy movement. He had a mane of red hair cascading down his back, with a thin red moustache and a slight chin beard as the only facial hair on him. Tohru raised an eyebrow as he looked the man over.

"Hmm, 'Black Tiger'," Tohru translated the name with a thoughtful look. "He doesn't look so ferocious," Instantly, the man seemed to become enraged, eyes going wide as veins popped out of his forehead, growling savagely.

"ANGRY CROW TAKES FLIGHT!" Hak Foo shouted suddenly, leaping into the air and sailing across the room. "EAGLE STANDS ON MOUNTAIN TOP!" He shouted in the same war-cry tone of voice as he laned with both feet planted on Tohru's shoulder's before the big man could do anything. "MONKEY PLUCKS TWO PEACHES…" he thrust his hand down to Tohru's face, two fingers jutting out, ready to poke Tohru's eyes out.

Tohru flinched, knowing he wouldn't be able to stop him in time. But the blow never came, the fingers stopping literally a centimetre from his eyes. Valmont had to smirk in approval.

"Looks can be deceiving…" Tohru mumbled shakily.

"Very good," Valmont said to break the tension in the room. "Now gentlemen, if you don't mind…"

Hak Foo jumped down from on top of Tohru, facing Valmont with ramrod straight posture, his face composed and calm, though still looking threatening. Tohru stood beside him, shuffling his feet awkwardly.

"Now, after gathering a little information," Valmont went on to say. "I have seen that the main-frame indicates that one, Mr Chan, has purchased four airline tickets to Bavaria." He said, holding up a sheet of paper with the information on it as he looked at Hak Foo. "The Dark Hand jet awaits. Tohru," Valmont said, with a smirk at the big sumo. "Be a good sport and tag along, in the event that Hak Foo requires your services." Tohru nodded humbly.

* * *

Shendu was in another one of his restless moods. His impatience to be free was gnawing on his sanity, making him even more irritable and unstable than ever before. And now he was kept mainly in isolation, after his stunt at proving to Valmont who he was dealing with, the crime lord had since kept his distance from Shendu wherever possible. The human now only came into the office when necessary, which suited Shendu just fine, seeing as he loathed the human for his incompetence; though Shendu was twitching for news as to the whereabouts of his talismans. But Valmont had not been forthcoming with updates, merely choosing to tell Shendu a few days ago that Tohru had been sent to find the dog talisman. Seeing as Valmont had not come to the statue with news, Shendu assumed that the behemoth had not returned yet. And so isolation lead to Shendu's next problem: boredom. After spending centuries in confinement and hardly talking to anyone, Shendu had escaped the maddening empty mindedness by withdrawing himself. However, as of the past few years of talking with Valmont and being more mentally active, especially with the new excitement of his talismans finally being discovered, Shendu found it very hard to push away his boredom. And now, he would drum his claws if he could, and his immobility only frustrated him more.

With no other option, Shendu activated the Sheep Talisman, activating his astral form as he floated from his stone prison and left through the walls of the office and ventured into the evening of San Francisco. This had now become Shendu's pass time to relieve his boredom: to watch his latest investment and study his prey. Shendu now knew the way to her apartment off by heart, and easily found his way there as he slunk through the walls and entered completely undetected.

The apartment seemed to be in a mess, with dishes stacked in the sink in the kitchen and history books scattered on the coffee table. Shendu did not immediately spot Valerie but he heard her voice coming from her bedroom, and so followed her. His ghostly form melted through the closed door, to see that her room was in the same scruffy outlook as the rest of her apartment, and then he saw Valerie standing at her bed, stuffing clothes into a duffle bag. For a moment, Shendu panicked that she was leaving the city. He couldn't allow that, she was to be his power boost once he regained his living body, if she left the city it would be all the more difficult to locate her, wasting his valuable time. He rashly almost called for the ShadowKhan, determined that if she was to force his hand then he would lock her up now, place her in a dungeon until he could perform his ritual to bind her to him, then lock her away forever more. The command was almost uttered, when suddenly, Shendu heard her speak.

"No mom, I told you it's for work," Valerie said with an agitated tone, and Shendu noticed how her head was clocked at an angle to press a phone to her ear. Shendu hesitated in his order to watch her, to see if he could learn anything from this. "I'm only going to be gone for a day or so, I'll be back in time for my afternoon classes on Monday,"

There was a pause as Valerie listened to the voice on the other end of the phone chattering away. Shendu had wondered as to the whereabouts of Valerie's mother, her only living relative, just in the case that he needed any leverage over the girl. As Valmont had now proven to him: burning bodies sent quite the message on how serious you were. If Valerie would not conform to his plans, then there was the option of giving her the opportunity to see her mother_ burn_.

"Yes mom," Valerie growled out, and Shendu was surprised at the ever so slight icy chill in her voice. "I am well aware of how important my studies are but this is import–"

She was cut off as Shendu heard the other woman on the phone snapping something at her daughter. Though he couldn't make out the words, the tone was impatient, yet almost desperate.

"Don't you dare!" Valerie exclaimed, and Shendu was again surprised, this time by the amount of venom he heard in the young woman's voice. "Don't you dare pull that card on me! You know I am working my ass off to be able to…"

Valerie trailed off as her mother spoke over her animatedly.

"I don't want your money, mom!" she exclaimed, throwing her clothes into the duffle bag angrily and straightening her head as she held the phone in her hand. Although she couldn't have known it, Valerie had turned her head enough to look straight into Shendu's eyes, and he held her gaze, fantasising of the look of fear he would enjoy there when she beheld him for the first time. "I'm not moving back to Toronto. It's not going to happen, so you can quit pestering me with it!"

The woman on the phone began shouting, and Valerie's eyes glistened with angry tears as her face pinched into a scowl.

"I don't want anything from you!" Valerie cried almost desperately, as if she were trying to tell the world's most ignorant man that the sky was above and the ground below, yet he refused to listen. "You're a success, you've made your point! But I don't want a lawyer, I want a mother!"

There was a long pause as the woman on the other end began to cry angrily into the phone, and Shendu watched in fascination as Valerie tried to hold back her own tears, her pride warring with her guilt as she refused to allow herself to cry.

"You know what mom? Don't bother." She muttered, her grip on the phone tightening. "I didn't need you when dad was here, and I don't need you now!"

There was a deathly silence.

"Mom, I'm…" Valerie whispered, mortification evident on her face as her eyes widened and he face paled at her words. With a cold calculous, Shendu noted that this was a very interesting development. The apology was right there on the tip of her tongue, but once again, her pride got the better of her, and the young woman forcibly swallowed it as a look of sad determination crossed her features. "Look I gotta go. My flight's in a few hours and I gotta catch some sleep while I can."

There was no farewells, no affectionate goodbyes, not even a declaration to speak soon; Valerie simply snapped the phone shut, ending the call before tossing the phone onto the bed. Her face suddenly looked exhausted as she slumped where she stood with a sigh, suddenly appearing as if she had already cried a thousand tears, even when none had flowed. Once again, Shendu admired her strength, though he cruelly made a mental note to make a move on this weakness should he need to exploit it. Valerie may appear as if she and her mother were not close, but Shendu was no fool. Valerie then placed the duffle bag by the front door of her apartment, as well as her handbag and a few other little accessories, before returning to her room and curling up on her bed. She set an alarm on her clock, before trying to sleep, sully clothes and on top of the covers. Shendu's astral form circled above her, though he did not try to enter her mind. He knew that she would not truly be in a deep enough sleep to allow him to enter her dreams, so instead he coiled his serpentine astral form above her head, leaning his head down as if he could physically sweep his tongue by her ear so that she might hear him hiss. He watched her for a while, an odd contentment settling over him as he watched her sleep with a wicked smile.

"_Rest now, child,"_ his voice hissed out in a sickly sweet manner, a wicked grin lighting up his face as his red eyes glowed. "_You destiny awaits, and I want you ready for when it comes. Because when it happens…"_ he leaned closer, brushing his fangs against her cheek though he could not touch her in this form. "_I will burn your world around you, and all you will ever know again, is me."_

* * *

Valerie was rather restless on the late night plane journey, unable to sleep even as Uncle and Jade snored loudly beside her. She'd always been unable to sleep whilst in motion, either by plane or car, she could never sleep, just one of her little quirks from childhood. Jackie had tried to make conversation, and although Valerie had wanted to, her heart wasn't in it. Though Jackie seemed to respect her silent plea for space, and left her to her thoughts. She was grateful, feeling a tug of guilt on her heart as she thought that Jackie was such a good guy, and he'd done a lot for her in the past few weeks, so she should trust him but… it wasn't that easy. Her phone call with her mother had not gone well, though Valerie had been expecting it to. She and her mother hadn't been as close as what was normal after her parents divorced; her mother had chosen a career over her family, moving to Toronto in order to follow the path of law. Valerie had been raised by her father, he'd been all she'd ever needed. But… as of last year, when her father had been killed… Valerie had been back in the arms of a woman who'd seemed almost like a stranger to her. Since then, they'd been trying to reclaim what had been lost to them by time. But… Valerie sighed, a piece of her heart refusing to budge at the thought of anyone replacing where her father had been in her affections. She tried to blame it on the fact that they'd been separated for too long, that it was all some psychological crap.

With each phone call it became harder and harder to convince herself of that.

So, Valerie decided that the only way she was taking her mind off of her current state, was to read. She read the tourist guide for the little town they would be visiting, her mind taking in every little detail. She read everything from the origins of the more wealthy families, the clock tower, the chocolate factory, the town appreciation for pigs, etc. Her eyes became glued to something she found particularly interesting, her eyes widening as she beamed. She excitedly turned to Jackie, to exclaim to him what she had found, but saw that he was fast asleep. She debated waking him, an impatient itch in her stomach, but then she saw that he had his own tourist guide in his lap, crumpled in his hands where he had fallen asleep whilst reading. Valerie breathed a sigh of relief. If Jackie had been reading the same thing, then he already knew what she would tell him.

They landed rather early at the airport, and managed to get a cab to the little town where they would to find the pig talisman, only an hour and a half away. Valerie was very excited at seeing such a place, having never left the United States other than to go to Canada or Disneyland. She marvelled at the history that seemed to be carved into the very stones of the buildings, each with their own fascinating stories. Once they arrived, Jackie left to meet with the manager of the chocolate factory, where the talisman-pig-chocolates were made, and Jade and Uncle happily went about their own business in the town.

Valerie was mightily confused by the old man. She'd never thought to put "Uncle" and "happy" in the same sentence. But he was acting very strangely indeed. He was livelier, a spring in his step, he didn't complain, he often complimented Valerie instead of scolding her, he even ate foods that he had often yelled at her before and said they did things to his old body that were very unpleasant to think about. This was a complete turnaround, if Valerie didn't believe in such things, then she would have said that he was abducted by aliens and replaced with a clone. Perhaps she was over thinking things, could it just be that Uncle was happy to finally get out of that dusty shop? Was it the adventure? Spending quality time with his great-niece? Valerie had to admit, the old man did look _happier_… perhaps she shouldn't think too negatively if all it did was bring Uncle just a little bit of fun. God knew the cranky goat needed it; it was rather refreshing to not worry about him yelling at her.

Putting her thoughts aside, Valerie had taken all their bags to the traditional inn where they would be staying. Even if they found the talisman rather quickly, Valerie wanted to stay in order to interact and study with these people. They all seemed so different from her own culture, yet not, the scholar in her simply HAD to explore and study!

She waited in the room for the others to return, and they soon filtered in. Jackie looking a little frustrated, and Jade and Uncle seeming to be in high spirits, even though Valerie noticed a slight uneasy look pass between them every now and again. The foursome went to dinner at the inn's pub-restaurant, and Valerie actually liked the food, though the others merely picked at their plates – apart from Jade, who as always wolfed down her meal like an animal. They all then went back to the room, each complaining of jet lag and wanting an early night, Valerie assuming that they would retrieve the talisman in the morning, and so didn't think much of it… until later that night. It was past eight, when Valerie heard Jackie climb out of his bed, stirring her from her restless slumber. She watched him almost suspiciously as Jackie quickly pulled his jumper on and went to the room door, quietly sneaking out. Valerie felt her insides itch again, knowing that something important was stirring. So, finding herself a large sweater and comfy slip-on flat shoes, Valerie quietly tiptoed out of the room and followed Jackie as quietly as she could.

He was heading across the square when she stepped out of the inn, and Valerie held her breath as she looked around to see if anyone was watching, before hesitantly following him. Jackie made his way through the town back towards the chocolate factory, and Valerie felt her confusion and suspicion grow by the minuet as she continued to watch Jackie as he expertly jumped between the two pig statues on either side of the front door, bouncing off of them before landing on the balcony above and sneaking in through an open door.

Valerie felt her heart sink, knowing there was no way she could do what Jackie just did. But why would Jackie be breaking into the chocolate factory?! What was he up to? Looking around frantically, Valerie soon found a dumpster, and quickly dragged it over towards the front entrance, trying to be as quiet as she could, and wincing every time the dumpster squealed or made a loud thump that she could have sworn was loud enough to wake the entire town. Once the dumpster was in place, Valerie quickly climbed up, before jumping towards the balcony, her fingers catching the bottom. She swung her legs towards the pig statue and used it to walk her way upwards towards the balcony. She grunted, and her arms shook, upper-body strength never being her strong suit in gym-class. Pulling herself onto the balcony with no amount of grace or dignity, Valerie crawled away from the edge, before quickly standing up and heading through the unlocked door that Jackie had entered through.

Valerie watched from the railing overlooking the main floor as Jackie quickly went from place to place, looking into the machines, up in tubes and presses. He was searching for something, but what could… The obvious answer made Valerie sink into a hip as she frowned with disapproval.

"Jackie?" She called out. Jackie jumped with a startled cry, hitting his head on one of the machines with a loud clang. He spun around to look at Valerie as she calmly walked down the stairs and came towards him.

"Valerie? What are you doing here?" He asked in that cutely innocent voice of his.

"Don't you give me that!" She snapped as if she were his mother. "Why are you breaking in to the factory?"

"I'm not breaking in!" he said defensively.

"Oh sure," Valerie rolled her eyes. "Being in a closed factory without permission is_ sooooooo_ not breaking and entering. We could get done for this!"

"Not if we're quick," Jackie smiled mischievously. "You can help me now,"

"Help you with what?" Valerie asked. "Jackie, what are you –"

"Seeking a Talisman?"

Both Jackie and Valerie spun around at the sound of the new and deep voice. Valerie's eyes widened as she beheld a man as he stepped out from the shadows, as if he had been there all along. Tall, broad, incredibly muscular as if he were a weight lifter, muscle packed on muscle all over his body. He wore a blue vest that was open to expose his severely muscular chest and abs, large dark red pants and black boots on his feet; his red main of hair looked like something out of Sonic the Hedgehog, and he looked upon them with a cold and dismissive gaze, as if they were beneath him. The man was calmly flipping something in the air between his fingers, and Valerie saw that it was a pig chocolate, the one in the shape of the talisman. That could only mean one thing: Dark Hand. Just even that knowledge was enough to intimidate Valerie as she took a step back, the man's imposing appearance only adding to her unease.

"Only counterfeits here," the man muttered as he held up the talisman-shaped chocolate.

"Do I know you?" Jackie asked slowly as he looked up at the new man in confusion. Valerie felt like shaking him in order to realise what situation had just been dropped into their laps, she edged closer to Jackie, hoping that it would make him more serious.

"I am Hak Foo," the man said seriously, as if he were a Japanese warrior about to utter a death battle. "And the last human either of you will ever lay eyes upon." His tone was so calm, so serious, that Valerie felt her spine stiffen as she gave a little squeak of fear.

"Look out!" Jackie yelled, pushing her out of the way as Hak Foo threw the small chocolate at them, before leaping into the air and flipping towards them at impressive speed. Jackie just managed to get Valerie out of the way before Hak Foo was upon him. "Please –"

"MANTIS BOXING STYLE!" He shouted as he assumed some martial arts position in the air before jabbing his fists at Jackie. "SERPENT TONGUE TECHINQUE!" another jab with one hand to Jackie's back. "FLOAT LIKE LOTUS BLOSSOM!" he shouted again as he leapt back into the air. "STING LIKE SCORPIAN!" he flew towards Jackie, feet arching over his back and flipping him through the air until he hit Jackie square in the chest with both feet. Jackie stumbled back, clutching his ribs as he tried to gain whatever space he could from the huge man. Valerie's shock at the sudden events wore off as she quickly ran over to his side, trying to help hold him up.

"Are you okay?" she asked frantically.

"I've been better…" Jackie groaned quietly. Valerie looked back as the huge man came pacing towards them.

"Where the hell did this guy come from?!" she murmured.

"I don't know –" Jackie began but was stopped when his eyes widened as Valerie felt a hand on her arm. She looked up in horror to see Hak Foo's enormous hand wrapped around her arm, reminding her of a giant holding a twig as she morbidly thought he could snap her arm in two.

"TIDE SWEEPS ASIDE SEASHELL!" He yelled and Valerie screamed as she suddenly found herself flying through the air as the man threw her aside, where she landed heavily against one of the work benches. She groaned, winded as she looked up to see Hak Foo balance on leg with the other foot right against Jackie's nose, ready to push him aside at a moment's notice. He smirked arrogantly. "Flamingo stance!"

"Oh, these little piggy's went to the market!" Jackie smirked as he grabbed the foot in his face and quickly twisted it, forcing Hak Foo to turn with it or risk a broken ankle.

"FLYING DRAGON CORKSWREW!" Hak Foo yelled as he spun in the air before landing quickly on his feet with a scowl at Jackie. "CAT LANDS ON FEET, AND BARES CLAWS!" he held up his hands as he lunged forward.

"Does this guy never shut up?" Valerie thought aloud as she continued to watch with horrified fascination.

Hak Foo tried to strike at Jackie, though he was clocked, and so tried with the other arm, only to be blocked again. It repeated over and over and over and over, quick succession and rapid fire, as the blows were continuously blocked with the soft thudding of flesh on flesh. Valerie was amazed at seeing someone who was equal to Jackie in martial arts skill, and she didn't know whether to be awed or terrified. But then, suddenly the two men broke away, both rubbing their arms and shaking their hands and wincing from pain. Valerie would have laughed if her heart was not beating frantically with fear.

"Cat shakes off water…" Hak Foo muttered, seemingly a little shaken by the pain. "CAT TEARS SQUIRREL'S HEAD OFF!" he roared as he charged at Jackie, who's eyes widened in their sockets as he quickly dodged and ran for safety. Hak Foo cornered him against one of the machines, though Jackie quickly ran up it and flipped over his opponent, landing behind him. But it seemed Hak Foo anticipated this, and quickly spun around and kicked Jackie in the behind – literally. Jackie yelped, clutching his butt as he stumbled forward.

"Baboon leaves toocus exposed," he muttered.

"I think you're enjoying this," Valerie said, not sure whether to be amused or disapproving. However, before Jackie could say anything, Hak Foo roared as he lunged for the smaller man, and Valerie shrieked in fright as the ferocious beast of a man came speeding towards her friend.

"HUNGRY CRANE DIVING FOR SHRIMP!" he landed right beside Jackie, arms enclosing around him before the other man could do anything to stop him, he was that fast. With a fierce war cry, Valerie watched in horror as Hak Foo spun Jackie around before throwing him against the brick wall. Jackie fell against the ground, hard, groaning softly as he struggled to get up. As she saw Hak Foo advance on her friend, Valerie felt her own anger boil, over-riding her caution as she came charging up behind the bigger man.

"Hey!" she shouted as she approached, causing Hak Foo to turn in time to see her furious face bearing down upon him. "MOTHER OF ALL BUTT-WHOPS FINDS BULLY'S FACE!" she shouted, mocking his earlier commentary as she swung her fist, remembering all the times her father had taught her about defending herself: twisting her body and throwing her weight behind the punch, going for under the jaw to make his teeth smash together. Hak Foo had been unprepared for the force of the blow, and stumbled back. Valerie, ignoring the sudden screaming pain in her knuckles, took her opportunity. "HORSE KICKS FOR THE CROWN JEWELS!" She screeched as she kicked her leg perfectly into the junction between his legs. Hak Foo howled in pain as he doubled over, face going blue as he held his breath he cupped himself with his hands. Believing him down for the count, Valerie quickly strode past him and helped Jackie to his feet.

"Jackie!" Valerie exclaimed worriedly, trying to help the man to his feet, though he seemed to be having trouble finding his balance. "Jackie, come on, we have to – _Argh_!" she screamed as she was suddenly thrown aside again, landing several feet away in a heavy heap. She looked up in time to see Hak Foo place his feet on either side of Jackie's head. Valerie felt a sickly feeling like ice in her stomach, she'd seen this move in the movies: the neck breaker.

"Black Tiger crushes Chan…" Hak Foo smirked in his victory, and Valerie was about to scream as she saw the awful moment before she would see her friend die. When suddenly, there was a loud bang, and everyone turned to see Uncle strolling into the factory, Jade at his side as they looked over the scene.

"You… Tiger-man," Uncle murmured in a serious and dark tone. "Remove your feet from Jackie!" he ordered with a pointed finger to Hak Foo.

"What's a Jackie…" Jackie asked deliriously.

"Take your leave, or feel the burn," Hak Foo growled out dangerously.

"Uncle!" Valerie exclaimed. "Get Jade out of here!"

"No," Uncle didn't take his eyes off of Hak Foo as he spoke, even though his answer was directed at Valerie. The young woman felt her insides turn to stone with dread as Uncle spoke to Hak Foo. "You talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?"

"Uncle, this guy beat _Jackie…_" Jade murmured nervously, Valerie was relieved that at least one of them had a lick of sense. Uncle gave no response, merely gently pushed her aside so that the girl stumbled in Valerie's direction. Without further warning, Hak Foo leapt into the air, coming straight towards Uncle like a rhino charging.

"MONKEY PLUCKS TWO PEACHES!" The huge man screamed as her came at Uncle, two fingers out as if he meant to pluck the old man's eyes out. Valerie was about to scream, when all of a sudden, Uncle held up his hand in front of the centre of his face, and calmly blocked Hak Foo's attack. There was a moment of stunned silence, as everyone stared in awe, Hak Foo especially, as if this couldn't possibly be true.

"What the…" Valerie murmured.

"Whoa…" Jade murmured in awe.

"GORILLA STAMPS FRAIL TWIG!" Hak Foo shouted in determination, leaping into the air and bearing down on Uncle with all his weight. Yet strangely, Uncle dashed out of the way, leaving Hak Foo to smash into the cement floor, cracking it, and letting him wobble on unsteady feet for a moment. He turned to look at Uncle in amazement.

"Twig may be frail, but roots are slippery," Uncle said as he faced Hak Foo and balanced perfectly on one leg in a ready combat pose. Valerie had to blink, to make sure that this was really what she was seeing. What on earth was this?!

"Jackie?" Jade asked, bringing Valerie's attention back to her downed friend as the child came up to her uncle. Valerie got to her feet and came to sit with them, helping Jackie into a sitting position as he man rubbed his aching head.

"Uncle?" Jackie asked in wonder and confusion as his eyes recognised the elderly figure now facing off against Hak Foo.

"I swear he's got a death wish," Valerie mumbled.

"RABBIT PUNCH! MULE KICK! LOBSTER CLAW! COBRA COIL! OISTER SHOCK! MOUNTAIN FALL!" Hak Foo yelled each attack, trying his hardest to land at least one blow to his new opponent, getting more frustrated with every time he failed. Uncle always seemed to evade him, and Valerie felt a grin light up her face as she silently cheered for the old man, amazed beyond words at his ability. She promised never to make fun of his old and frail body again if he beat this jerk. As Hak Foo flew past him, Uncle slapped him upside the head with two fingers, making Hak Foo flinch and his eyes went wide with surprise. He landed, turning with a furious growl as he once again leapt back into the air. "ANGRY CROW TAKES FLIGHT!"

"Thank you for sharing, Angry Crow!" Uncle yelled back with a smirk as he too leapt twenty feet into the air, striking out with his foot as he caught Hak Foo in the stomach, making the man cry out as he doubled over in pain and fell to the floor with a loud and heavy "thud". As Uncle landed neatly on his feet, Valerie could have sworn that her jaw hit the floor.

"Jade!" Jackie exclaimed in confusion and wonder. "Uncle just leapt _twenty feet_ into the air!"

"Go Uncle!" Jade cheered.

"He's awesome!" Valerie chimed in. Uncle gave them a small grin. But then, Hak Foo was back on his feet and growling to himself; though this time Valerie smirked triumphantly, knowing that Uncle could more than handle himself. Hak Foo leapt into the air, and held out his leg towards Uncle.

"ELEPHANT THRUSTS ITS LEG!" He shouted, flying across the room towards the elderly man. But then, suddenly, Hak Foo spun in the air and now his fist was pointing directly at Uncle's face, the elderly man unprepared for the cheat as he had made a move to grab the leg lower down, and left himself completely exposed. Valerie couldn't breathe as her eyes widened in disbelief, as she watched Hak Foo smash into Uncle, and send him flying across the room and into a wall, bricks and plaster raining around him until he fell onto the floor. "I meant _fist…_" Hak Foo smirked with triumph as he landed.

"Uncle!" Jade and Jackie yelled in unison. All Valerie could do was scream as she ran over to the pile of rubble, horrified to see a limp and bony hand sticking out from the rest of the pile. Tears welled up in her eyes as she was quickly joined by Jackie, and they all frantically began to try and dig him. "Uncle are you okay?!" Jackie asked desperately as he uncovered his Uncle's face, his spectacles cracked and scrapes and bruises dotting his face. Valerie felt like she was going to vomit – no matter if Uncle had been a little more springy lately, no one of his age could survive something like that. Her tears were streaming uncontrollably down her face, and she couldn't even mutter any words, her voice refused to work, and she had to hold onto Jackie and Jade with tight fingers in order to keep her balance.

"Say something!" Jade pleaded desperately, and Valerie had to look away, she couldn't bare the sight of it any longer.

"Retire from Talisman hunting, Chan," the voice of Hak Foo said calmly, as if nothing had happened. Valerie glared up at the bigger man, lips pushed into an angry line, her gaze murderous as she stared at his smug smile. "It is a hazardous occupation…"

"MURDERER!" Valerie screamed as she launched herself towards the bigger man, uncaring if her knuckles were probably already broken, uncaring if she knew that she had no chance to do any damage to him, she just wanted to _hurt_ him, she wanted to make him pay for what he'd done! But before her feet could even leave the ground, she felt arms wrap around her waist and pull her back to safety. Jackie held on tightly to her, pulling her against his chest even as she kicked and struggled. She screamed as tears ran down her face, watching as Hak Foo gave her one last sneer before turning and leaving the factory. Valerie lost all fight in her when she no longer saw the man's retreating back, her limbs going limp, and her sobs coming fresh as she turned and buried her face in Jackie's shoulder, her arms wrapping around his neck as she collapsed against him. He held her gently, though she knew he was hiding his own grief, he gently comforted her in hers. Valerie had prayed to never again experience death, she couldn't take it anymore! It wasn't fair! Once again that dreadful night came back to her, and she held on to Jackie as tightly as she'd wished she'd been able to hold on to someone that night. And suddenly, she didn't know who she was crying for: Uncle, or her Father.

"Ow!" came a sudden yelp, and Valerie and Jackie turned in time to see Uncle rise from the pile of bricks, rubbing his head as if all he had done was knock it. Valerie stared in speechless shock, all colour draining from her face for a moment as she wondered if Uncle was some sort of vampire. But then scolded herself, her new world of magic was already fragile in her sense of reality without adding such impossibilities.

"Uncle! You're okay!" Jackie exclaimed happily.

"But… how?!" Valerie whispered, disbelief in her voice as she hesitantly reached out touched his shoulder, as if he might be a ghost.

"Err, see!" Uncle suddenly exclaimed with a big and very false grin. "Lots of garlic is good for you!"

"What?!" Valerie shook her head as she frowned in confusion at the old man. "That can't be right! You just got smashed into a brick wall and act as if you only bumped into it! What is going on here?!" she didn't mean to sound angry, but her confusion and earlier grief were becoming too much for her tired mind to handle.

"That is not important now," Uncle told her seriously, before standing up and walking away quickly as if nothing was amiss. "We must get the Pig Talisman before the big-mouth finds it!" he said gravely.

"Let's roll!" Jade said happily.

"Am I the only one who is just a little concerned by what just happened?!" Valerie held up her hands as she looked to the ceiling in exasperation.

"But we don't know where it is!" Jackie told the others. "I was trying to look for it, but it's not here,"

"_That's _what you were doing in here?" Valerie asked with a frown.

"Of course, what else would I be doing?" Jackie said innocently. "But it's not here, and we have no idea where else it could be,"

"Oh yes we do," Jade smiled triumphantly.

"What? Where?" Jackie asked in shock.

"The clock tower!" the girl exclaimed.

"Yes, I know," Valerie murmured.

"WHAT?!" Jackie's eyes widened further as he turned around to stare at her. "How did you know?"

"Yeah, you weren't with us when me and Uncle saw it earlier," Jade said.

"Did _nobody_ read the tourist guide?!" Valerie asked them as if they were idiots, looking at them as if they'd just grown another head. "On the page about the clock tower, it has a picture of the pig – you can see the talisman stuck on its head!" she exclaimed.

"Oh…" the others murmured, cheeks heating in embarrassment. Valerie sighed.

They then made their way out of the chocolate factory, and quickly ran through town towards the centre square. Seeing as the clock tower itself was public property, it didn't have the greatest security system, and therefore it was all too easy to break in. They quickly made their way up through the tower towards the inner working of the clock face itself, hoping to be able to get to the Talisman from there. Jade was the first up as she climbed the rickety wooden stairs, Jackie and Valerie not far behind her.

"See the oinker at twelve o'clock?" Jade smiled as she pointed to the dormant marionette of the pig in a lederhosen outfit on the spinning deck, which worked like a coo-coo clock with the pig chiming the symbols. Right now, the pig was bent over as it waited for the chiming of the next hour, giving them all a brilliant view of the pig talisman in its hat.

"Told you so," Valerie grinned at Jackie.

"Ellen's sporting a pork pie hat," Jade held up her hand for high-five, which Valerie eagerly gave her. "Me and Uncle spotted it when the clock chimed – Tohru!"

Valerie spun around in time to see Tohru pinning a struggling Jackie against his chest. Valerie grabbed onto Jade and pulled her close and out of harm's way in case any more of the Dark Hand were about. And sure enough, out of the shadows walked Hak Foo.

"Many thanks," the red haired man smirked, and Valerie repressed the urge to growl as she pushed Jade behind her protectively. "For leading us to the prize,"

"You are not welcome," Uncle growled out as he stepped out from behind Tohru's shadow and crossed his arms as he glared at Hak Foo. Valerie was sickly pleased to see the colour drain from Hak Foo's face as he bumbled for a way to explain this.

"You?! But… elephant fist –"

"Not as good as you thought, bully?" Valerie sneered at him.

"Why so afraid?" Tohru asked Hak Foo, and everyone noticed how Tohru seemed to not like Hak Foo either if his mocking tone was anything to go by. "He is an old man,"

"Heh," Uncle grumbled as he calmly walked up to Tohru and grabbed Jackie's arms. Tohru seemed confused as he watched, not doing anything to prevent Uncle from getting close. Uncle then cocked Jackie's elbows at a right angle, and then began to drill them repeatedly into Tohru's stomach, causing the large man to grunt continuous as the blows came in fast succession, winging the behemoth as his eyes widened with the pain. And then, Uncle leapt up onto Tohru's shoulders and head butted him. Valerie wanted to yell something; for logic dictated that Uncle would have broken something from hitting a man like Tohru in such a fierce head-butt, but Uncle merely leapt off and landed lightly on his feet as Tohru hit the ground heavily, groaning, his arms going limp and allowing Jackie to go free.

"Four against one," Jade said fiercely. "We can take 'em!"

"Jade!" Jackie whispered frantically, reaching for his niece and pulling her towards him. "The talisman!"

"Err… right!" she murmured before turning around and running off behind them towards the stairs that would lead her to the talisman. Valerie contained her nerves, knowing that Jade would be safer retrieving the talisman then she would in the fight, and so Valerie put her fists up, ready to fight. Though she wasn't the martial artist like Jackie, she still knew a few dirty tricks, even with her eyes scanning the room for anything she could use as a weapon.

"You, family size, stop the girl! Sit on her – do something!" Hak Foo ordered, and Valerie saw the way Tohru's eyes twitched with anger at the insult. The large man got to his feet with a growl, before stomping towards where Jade was headed.

"I got Jade!" Valerie said as she quickly followed the larger man, her mind screaming at her that she was being stupid, she couldn't take on Tohru! But then, it was either that or get in the way as Uncle and Jackie took on Hak Foo. She managed to catch up to the big man as he tried to corner Jade, though the elusive little girl managed to duck under him and move out of his way before the big man could catch her. Jade thankfully ran into Valerie's arms, as the woman put the girl behind her, hoping to block her from Tohru, though she gulped loudly as the big man came stomping towards her. "Get to the stairs!" Valerie told the girl, focusing on Tohru, and noticing a workbench not too far away, littered with maintenance tools. Valerie quickly darted towards it and hefted a crowbar, ready to swing it as soon as Tohru came too close. The sumo seemed to weigh the new level of threat she posed, and began to advance carefully. Valerie managed to sneak a quick look towards Uncle and Jackie, noticing how they were both holding in their own in stalemate battle between the pair of them and Hak Foo, Jackie getting caught in the mechanisms of the clock before Uncle had to pull him out.

"Argh!" Tohru roared as he charged, forcing Valerie to spin back around to face him with a shriek of surprise and fear. She barely managed to dodge out of the way of the man's hands that tried to grab her, her slimmer figure easier to slip out of the way at just the last moment. Spinning Valerie swung the crowbar into Tohru's wrist, smacking his arm away from her. Tohru cried out in pain, shaking his hand to relieve himself of the throbbing hurt.

"What's the matter with you?!" they both heard Hak Foo shout at Tohru as he blocked blows from Jackie and Uncle. "Make that fat of yours useful for something and squash her!"

"Never thought you would be the one taking orders from such a jerk," Valerie said almost thoughtfully as she dodged out of the big man's grasp when Tohru angrily made a swipe for her, though she could tell that the big man's anger wasn't focused on her.

"Believe me," Tohru growled out in frustration. "This is not something of my choosing,"

"You know Tohru, you really should consider joining the good side," Valerie said as if she were talking about the weather as she backed up away from Tohru, hoping to lead him further away from Jade's position. Valerie quickly cast her eyes upwards to see Jade walking across the plank to the pig and jumping to try and reach his hat. She turned her attention back to Tohru as she swung at him again, causing him to hesitate in his attack. "Section 13 has a marvellous dental plan, and every Thursday is donut-day!" she winked at him cheekily.

"ARGH!" everyone turned to see Hak Foo leap through the air, landing on the decking beside Jade as he greedily snatched at the Talisman that she couldn't reach. Valerie felt her heart drop as she saw the triumphant look in Hak Foo's eyes, an evil smile spreading across his face.

"Jackie!" Jade called out in warning.

"Jade!" Valerie called out, abandoning her fight with Tohru and running towards the rickety stairs. But then, she felt Tohru's massive hand clamp around her arm, pinning her in place, no matter how much she struggled. She saw Uncle and Jackie make their way upwards through the mechanisms of the clock, at least they were on their way.

But then, Valerie was distracted by a flash of light, and her heart sank as she looked up to see Hak Foo holding Jade at bay easily with one hand… and the talisman glowing in the other.

"Give me – whoa…" Jade cut herself off from her struggling, recognising what Valerie had. With quick desperation, Valerie swung her crowbar with her free arm, smashing it onto Tohru's upper arm. He cried out and loosened his grip just long enough for Valerie to wriggle free and sprint after Jackie and Uncle, soon joining them on the plank leading to Hak Foo and Jade. They all froze when they saw that Hak Foo's eyes had started to… glow?

Suddenly, bright beams shot from Hak Foo's eyes, coming straight towards them, Valerie screamed as Jackie tackled her to the ground, the wind being knocked from her lungs on impact. They barely managed to miss the beam, and hearing a loud crash behind them, all blood drained from Valerie's face when she turned to see that the path way behind them had been incinerated. She gulped: this was why she didn't like work in the field.

"The lucky pig was how grand-papa Furcle melted his coco-beans!" Jackie gasped in amazement. Uncle gave him a dead-pan stare, Valerie surprised herself when she did what she liked to call the 'uncle-thing', and slapped Jackie upside the head with two fingers.

"Heat-beam eye blast?" Hak Foo said thoughtfully as he looked at the talisman in his hand. Then, he turned to the others, baring his teeth as he pumped his chest with mounting anger, eyes beginning to glow once again, and Valerie felt her heart stop. "HEAT BEAM EYE BLAST –!"

_Dong!_ Chimed the bell in the clock tower, so loud that Valerie had to duck her head and cover her ears, even as the entire room seem to tremble with the force of the sound. The bells continued to chime, and Valerie was only aware of the need to move when Jackie hauled her to her feet and pushed her forward as the rest of the walkway beneath them began to crumble. Then, the lucky pig came to life, the springs and mechanisms making it stand straight as the wheel it was on began to turn, Jade just hopping clear as Hak Foo and the pig where spun until they went out a door that led outside. Jackie quickly came to set Jade right, before all four of them hopped onto the wheel and went with it as it turned once again, taking them all outside just in time to see Hak Foo dizzily teeter towards the edge, before falling off. They all leant over to see Hak Foo clinging to the hour hand of the clock face, his hands gripping on for dear life.

"Time is not on his side," Uncle murmured.

"If this situation wasn't quite so serious, I would laugh," Valerie snorted.

"Pft, Freelancer," came a voice, and everyone turned in surprise to see Tohru standing behind them smirking down at Hak Foo. But then, Tohru's eyes seemed to catch on something on Uncle. Valerie saw something in his eyes, and quickly latched onto Uncle shoulders, just as Tohru snatched at Uncle's shirt. Valerie felt Uncle bounce in her palms, as if he'd been preparing to jump, but couldn't help it now, she swung Uncle around, Tohru going with them as he kept his grip on Uncle's front. Suddenly, the big man yelled as his foot slipped over the edge, and he quickly fell from the perch; a soft '_snap_' accompanying him as his hand was ripped from Uncle's shirt, though the clothing itself was undamaged. Valerie held on to Uncle as they backed away to safety, watching as Tohru fell, clutching on to the minuet hand on the clock face to stop his deadly fall.

"Heat beam eye blast!" They heard Hak Foo growl up at them just in time.

But before he could blast them, Tohru shifted in place… and the minute hand moved, and then more, and more… And then, Tohru was screaming as he fell backwards with the minute handle, smashing straight into Hak Foo, and sending them both falling towards the market square below. Unfortunately, Hak Foo's beam was still in effect, and as he fell the beam sliced through the clock tower in a zig-zag pattern. The two men luckily fell onto a truck of Furcles Chocolates, which managed to break their fall… with Tohru squashing Hak Foo. There was a moment of silence for the four still on the clock tower… before Valerie could have sworn she felt a rumbling beneath her feet.

"Look out!" Valerie shrieked as the clock tower began to crumble and fall as the supports crumbled where they had been blasted apart by the heat blast. The tower was falling backwards, and Jackie and Uncle were looking over the edge worriedly, even as Jade clung to Valerie.

"Save Jade!" Uncle called out to Jackie as he parted the two females and handed Jade to Jackie. "Quickly!" without another word of encouragement, Jackie jumped off of the edge of the falling tower and began to run down the wall that was levelling out with the tower's fall. "Come on!" Valerie's head snapped back to Uncle as the old man grabbed her wrist and dragged her with him to the edge, Valerie shrieked as Uncle threw them both over, his hand tight on her wrist as he pulled her along. They began running too, Valerie panting from both exertion and pure terror as she realised that she was running on a collapsing building, one that could potentially kill her! They were perhaps fifteen feet from the ground, when they saw that the tower was ripping as the foundations stayed in the ground even as the rest of the tower fell. They all screamed as Jackie leapt into the air with Jade, and Uncle pulled Valerie along as they clumsily jumped up… only to land on the soft cloth overhang outside the nearest shop.

Valerie lay there for a moment, catching her breath, blinking her eyes as she took a moment to wonder how on earth she was still alive… and then whispering all of her thanks to the heavens for her continued existence. She would have kissed the ground if she were on it, a hysterical giggle bubbling up her throat at the thought that she had once again come close to death and had survived. She looked to the others as they panted to regain their breath, feeling like cheering so that they too could share in her happiness. But as she looked to Uncle, she saw the old man patting his shirt and then his pockets, as if he were looking for misplaced keys, a worried and almost frightened expression coming over his face. Valerie frowned, all mirth draining from her as she felt something suspicious well up inside of her, her stomach forming into a solid pit of dread.

Uncle quickly climbed down from their makeshift landing pad, his movements a little more stiff then before. He then hobbled his way towards the truck, Valerie, Jackie and Jade at his heels, each exchanging suspicious and confused glances. They arrived at the truck to see a Hak Foo laying crumpled and unconscious, his face bloody and bruised, his breathing a little uneven and ragged, it was very clear that Hak Foo wouldn't be back in action for anytime soon. Yet noticing something, Valerie looked around, believing herself to be mistaken, but… but there was no sign of Tohru anywhere.

"Aieya!" Uncle whispered in horror, hands going to his face with a look of despair. "It is not here!"

"What is not here, Uncle?" Jackie asked suspiciously.

"The Dog Talisman!" Uncle exclaimed in panic as he spun to face Jackie.

"The Dog?" he asked.

"Yes! Tohru took it from me when we were at the top of the tower, now he is gone, and with him the talisman!" Uncle said hurriedly.

"Wait, wait," Valerie said, holding her hands out to stop the old man's panicked rambling. "Why would you have the Dog Talisman here?"

"I… I…" he looked between their faces, fear evident there, the only time Valerie had ever seen it.

"Uncle, tell them," Jade said softly. Uncle sighed, a defeated look in his old eyes.

"I discovered that the Dog Talisman is the talisman of immortality," he murmured softly. "It makes its holder unable to die and restores youthful energies… I… I just wanted to be young again…"

"And now the Dark Hand has it…" Valerie murmured uneasily as she glanced at Jackie's worried face.

"At least they didn't get the pig," Jade chimed in as she stood up from where she had been crouched behind one of the wheels of the truck, the Pig Talisman in her hands, plucked from where it had rolled out of Hak Foo's hand and hidden in the shadows. "And between Immortality and Heat-beam eyes, I think I know which one I would rather the Dark Hand have,"

"Yeah," Jackie murmured, before turning back to Uncle with a soft smile. "I guess so,"

"Jackie… thank you for letting me re-experience my youth," Uncle murmured gratefully, a look of calm and gratefulness upon his elderly face. Which was shattered in the next second when Uncle yelled: "But being young is too dangerous! And _EXHAUSTING_! Uncle needs a nap…"

"You earned it Uncle," Jade said with a loving smile as she hugged the old man.

"See Jade," Jackie turned with a smile towards his niece as he gestured towards the destruction of the clock tower. "As Tohru demonstrated: One cannot turn back the hands of time," Valerie laughed.

* * *

Shendu had seen how nervous Valmont had been as they waited in his office. Valmont had come to tell him that a freelancer by the name of Hak Foo was leading a mission in Bavaria to retrieve the pig talisman. Shendu would have drummed his claws with impatience just to watch as Valmont fidgeted uneasily under the strain of having to wait with the demon statue. To any other eyes, it would appear as if Valmont was as collected and calm as ever; but Shendu knew better: the constant twitch of fingers, the furrowed brow, or the way he crossed and uncrossed his legs. It was very easy to tell and Shendu almost enjoyed each second of it. He wanted to see the fear in the human, although it wasn't at the level with which Shendu would have liked.

Finally they received the call from Tohru that he was returning, and the pair waited in the office in silence for the hours until Tohru arrived. It was like a silent battle of wills, neither willing to give in or address the other to see who would hold out the longest. Shendu knew he would, obviously, he'd had centuries of practise on this. But eventually the sumo finally stepped through the doors of the office, a little worse-for-wear it in his appearance, which Shendu had come to know meant that Tohru had had a run-in with Chan. Which in turn meant that he had lost the Talisman. Shendu tried to hold back his anger enough so that he might at least hear their pitiful screams for mercy; obviously Valmont was in need of another reminder as to how serious Shendu was in his threats.

"I have the Dog Talisman, master," Tohru said with a bowed head.

Shendu had been about to activate the dragon talisman and incinerate the sumo, when his words cut through the dragon's mind. He paused, staring at the large human in shock.

"You did?" Valmont asked, seemingly just as surprised as Shendu himself. Without a word, Tohru placed something onto Valmont's desk: the Dog Talisman, the power of immortality. Shendu would have grinned if he could. "And what of Hak Foo?" he heard Valmont ask.

"He failed," Tohru murmured, and Shendu thought he spied the faintest of twitches in the enforcer's lips that could have grown into a smirk. But just as quickly, it was gone.

"Here we are then Shendu, you're third Talisman." Valmont said coldly as he turned to place the dog talisman into one of the slots on Shendu's body. Shendu felt a warmth spread through his stone scales as the talisman activated and he felt its power fill him, settling into his very core and giving him more energy than he seemed able to expend in his still form. He was silent as regarded Valmont for a long moment, drawing out the tension as he studied the human with a mental sneer.

"One talisman is better than none, I suppose," Shendu muttered. Valmont and Tohru visibly breathed a sigh of relief. "But do not misplace my leniency for complacency." He snapped. "I still demand that no more talismans be lost. Is that clear?"

"Yes Shendu," Valmont muttered.

* * *

**A/N: So, I apologise for my long absence. Unfortunately, University work and completing one of my other stories got in my way. But now I'm back and I hope to be updating on a much more regular basis! :) I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and the little twists I put into it. Please review, as I would love to hear your thoughts! **

**Also, someone asked in the reviews how long this story would be. To answer for all readers: I plan to make this story span the first and second season, so I hope that's okay! **

**Until next time! :)**


End file.
